BHUBANESWAR: In what could be a boon for the devotees visiting Shree Jagannath temple at Puri, the state government is planning to provide Abhada free of cost, particularly to those who are poor and cannot afford the cost of the Mahaprasad at the shrine.
The programme is likely to be launched in December after the holy month of Kartik, Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said on Sunday.
“The state government has started working in this direction and will approach people who can donate for the purpose. This new initiative is aimed at people who are not financially capable of buying the Mahaprasad for themselves and their family,” he said.
To provide free Abhada to devotees, funds to the extent Rs 14 crore to Rs 15 crore will be required.
“We have decided not to burden the state government with this expenditure. The expenses are being planned to be met through donations. We will approach donors for the purpose,” the minister said adding many have already expressed interest in donating for the initiative.
The Jagannath temple gets around 50,000 devotees daily. The footfall swells to one to two lakh on festive occasions. There are close to 1,000 members of Suara Mahasuara Nijog who cook and sell the Abhada.
The previous BJD government too had made an announcement to provide Abhada free of cost and even deliver dry bhog to devotees residing outside Puri. However, none of them could materialise.
Across the country, popular shrines like Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Tirumala temple in Tirupati, Shirdi Sai temple in Shirdi and Vaishno Devi temple in Katra serve free food to devotees everyday.