Laddus to be sold in biodegradable bags!
Yes, you heard right.
In a unique ‘green initiative’, the management of Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Andhra Pradesh has teamed up with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop biodegradable bags to be used to sell the mahaprasadam laddu.
According to officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), a sale counter has been set up near the laddu counters near the temple from where the devotees can first buy these bags before heading to counters to buy the prasadam.
Explaining the unique initiative, DRDO chairman Satish Reddy said: “Our Advance Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad has been doing a lot of research and inventing ways to find the best environmental friendly replacement for hazardous plastic. To minimise single-use plastic, we have come out with these eco-friendly bags made of starch corn which degrades naturally within 90 days. It is also not harmful even if cattle consume them. After detailed research and rigorous testing of the formula, we have come out with these bags for Tirumala.”
Till 2019, TTD was one of the biggest distributors of single-use plastic covers for providing mahaprasadam to devotees.
Realizing that severe damage was being caused to the environment due to the use of polythene laddu covers, a blanket ban on use of single-use plastic covers was imposed in 2019 following which a tie-up with DRDO was announced.
“Products like these are essential for the survival of mankind. After observing the response from the pilgrims for a few days, we are planning to commence its sales in a full-fledged manner,” said TTD EO Dr KS Jawahar Reddy.
