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Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has hit back at Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF)’s Chairman Bheema Naik claims of discontinuation of supply of ‘Nandini’ brand ghee to the temple to make laddus. TTD Executive Officer Dharma Reddy has said that KMF was making false allegations and said that they are not supplying ghee for laddus manufacturing for the last twenty years.

He further noted that KMF has so far supplied ghee only once in the past 20 years, as reported by news agency PTI.

Yesterday, Naik said that KMF has been supplying ghee to TTD for making the prasad laddus for several years now. He had said, “For many years, KMF ghee was used for Tirupati Laddu. I’m of the belief that no other ghee can stand up to the quality of Nandini ghee; our customers have given us this 100 per cent certification.” Naik also spoke about the current supplier and said that they are supplying ghee to TTD at a very row rate as compared to KMF. He added, “It may be of the lesser quality compared to ours, but they too might have done testing as they too have labs.” It is the decision of the government there and TTD, he said as quoted by PTI.

V Dharma Reddy responded to the allegations made by KMF chairman Bheema Naik that the temple body was procuring low quality ghee. 

Hitting out at Bheema Naik, Reddy said, “How can he say that we are buying bad quality ghee? In the last 20 years they supplied only once. Do you think for the past 19 years our laddus were bad and only one year it was good, that too with his 20 percent of ghee?” as quoted by PTI.

“The procedure for procurement of any item by TTD is on a tender basis. We go for e-tenders. First technical bid and then financial bid,” Reddy told PTI. 

Further explaining, he said that for an item like ghee, a team of scientists first evaluate the quality of a supplier’s product by auditing their plants and only then allow them into the second round of financial bidding. At the bidder’s plant, the scientist assess their capability, strength, milk procurement process, equipment and other crucial factors before giving any plant a green signal. 

Later, the prospective suppliers are allowed to make financial bids on a per kg basis and then only TTD picks up the L1 bidder, offering the lowest competitive price. 

Speaking of KMF, he said that KMF met just 20 percent of TTD’s requirement once, that too taking a full year while it was supposed to do it in just six months. 

Speaking of their ghee requirement per day, Reddy said that TTD requires 15,000 kg or 15 tonnes of ghee per day, 450 tonnes a month and 5,400 tonnes a year. “When KMF could not meet just 20 percent of the requirement on time then how can Naik think of meeting our whole requirement,” he wondered as quoted by PTI. 

Furthermore, Reddy said it doesn’t matter who supplies the ghee but whether they have passed the test in the TTD lab is the most important factor.  

“Once they pass, whether it is a or b or c, how does it matter for us?..” he asked. 

Reddy also highlighted TTD’s stringent quality standards and said that every supply consignment is tested for quality and then only accepted and if they fail, truckload of ghee is rejected and sent back. 

Hitting out further at KMF, he said, Even though KMF never qualified as an L1 bidder, he reminded that TTD had done a favour by allowing the L3 bidder (KMF) to supply 20 percent ghee requirement in 2021 after taking the L1 bidder’s permission after KMF chairman had personally met TTD officials back then. 

Meanwhile, the Karnataka cabinet announced that it has decided to hike price of Nandini milk by 3 per litre from 1 August. Defending the price rise, Deputy CM DK Shivkumar had said that with the increase in milk price, they want to help farmers. “We have to give money to the farmers, he said. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too had said that state is selling milk at the lowest price compared to other states. “The toned milk that costs 39 will be sold at 42 per litre. Elsewhere it is sold between 54 and 56 per litre. In Tamil Nadu the price is 44 per litre,” he had said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Updated: 02 Aug 2023, 09:58 AM IST

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