A ONE-MAN commission constituted by the Andhra Pradesh Government on Saturday revealed that the TTD procured over 70 lakh kg of ghee used in preparing the famous Tirupati laddus without mandatory quality checks. The report submitted by the commission claimed that this “systemic failure” allowed suppliers to provide adulterated ghee, as officials allegedly ignored safety tests and suppressed lab reports that confirmed the presence of vegetable fats. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu appointed a one-man commission headed by retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar to probe the supply of allegedly adulterated ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, after the Supreme Court-appointed SIT submitted its report.

 

“TTD officials initially planned to incorporate mandatory FSSAI β-Sitosterol testing (effective July 1, 2022), but later reversed the decision and granted suppliers an exemption, leading to the procurement of over 70 lakh kg of ghee without the legally required quality checks,” Kumar said in his report.