SC should take suo motu cognisance of Tirupati laddu adulteration allegations: VHP
Tirupati (AP)(PTI): The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of Tirupati laddu adulteration allegations and launch a probe to identify the culprits.
The Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal of VHP met at Tirupati and took this decision. It was attended by VHP’s international secretary Bajrang Bagra and other pontiffs.
VHP's decision comes in the wake of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently claiming that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making the popular Tirupati laddus, known for their unique taste.
"Supreme Court should take suo motu cognisance of this matter and investigate it in a definite time period to identify the culprits of this unforgivable crime and punish them stringently," said VHP in a release.
Further, it noted there is no room for negligence and delay in this matter as such a scenario could result in nation-wide agitations by Hindu community members, who are already impatient over this issue.
According to the VHP, allegations and counter allegations of the ruling NDA and opposition YSRCP in the southern state over the past 4-5 days on Tirupati laddus have caused immense consternation in the Hindu community.
It noted that these developments have hurt the sentiments of crores of Sri Balaji (Sri Venkateswara Swamy) devotees across the globe, observing that laddu prasadam (consecrated food) is considered and consumed as a divine blessing with utmost faith.
VHP said the allegations of laddu adulteration have 'horribly' insulted Lord Venkateswara Swamy devotees.
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Karnataka procured 16 lakh expired RT-PCR kits during Covid wave: D’Cunha commission
Bengaluru: Justice John Michael D’Cunha’s committee has uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing that more than 16 lakh RT-PCR test kits purchased by Karnataka in 2022 under the BJP-led government were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
After irregularities in PPE kit purchases, ventilators have also come under the scanner, with the report highlighting discrepancies amounting to Rs 173.26 crore in purchases made by the Medical Education Department.
The commission has also found that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL) that cancelled a supply order for one lakh Rapid Antigen (RAT) kits placed with a Singapore-based company in March 2020 — for delay in supplying — has not recovered the Rs 6.99 crore paid to the company towards the order, as reported by The Hindu on Thursday.
According to the 279-page report on procurements made by the KSMSCL that is compiled in part IV of the report, a payment of Rs 148.84 crore was made by KSMSCL to various suppliers and firms towards procurement of RT-PCR kits from 2020 to 2022.
The Commission’s report, as cited by the publication, stated that there were records indicating procurement of RT-PCR kits, RNA extraction kits and Viral transport media (VTM) of a total value of Rs 106.25 crore during the pandemic in Karnataka. However, according to the report, this procurement was made without administrative approval.
“Since the KSMSCL has failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility, the loss caused to the State exchequer to this extent is required to be replenished by the erring officers and/or officials of the KSMSCL as well as the officers and/or officials of the consignee designated laboratories who received the consignment,” the report said, pegging the losses due to expired kits supplied by companies at Rs 3.11 crore.
In response to the report’s findings, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticised the saffron party for profiting from the pandemic. He promised accountability for the irregularities involving PPE kits and ventilators, stating that those responsible would face punishment.
