Arpan Rath Rice Likely To Be Used To Prepare Khichdi For Devotees In Puri; Panel Checking Quality

Puri: Amid a raging controversy over the rice collected by the Odisha government’s Arpan Rath ahead of the inauguration of Puri Heritage Corridor Project, a committee has been formed to examine its quality.

According to sources, the collected rice can be used to prepare Kanika and Khichdi for devotees after a thorough quality check by the committee.

The verifying committee, including Suara and Mahasuara Nijog president and secretaries, was formed following a meeting at the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) office on Friday night.

If the rice is deemed fit, it will be used to prepare khichdi or kanika which will be distributed among the devotees, sources said.

Some committee members said there is a probability that the rice has been mixed with par-boiled rice. Therefore, verifying only one or two packets out of 12,000 quintals of rice collected through Arpan Rath before the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor Project would not serve the purpose.

However, Additional Chief Administrator of SJTA, Samarth Verma, declined to comment on this matter.