When Puri's Khaja To Get GI Tag?
Key Points
The unavailability of the Geographical Index (GI) tag for Lord Jagannath's special sweet 'Khaja' has worried crores of devotees in the State and outside, businessmen in Puri, and servitors of the Shreemandir.
Puri, Nov 2: The unavailability of the Geographical Index (GI) tag for Lord Jagannath's special sweet 'Khaja' has worried crores of devotees in the State and outside, businessmen in Puri, and servitors of the Shreemandir.
Intellectuals, servitors, khaja makers, and businessmen have demanded that the State Government take all steps to get a GI tag to Khaja, which is one of the 56 kinds of bhog being offered to the deities daily.
While Bihar has got a GI Tag for Khaja, Odisha is yet to get the tag for Khaja, which is prepared in a unique way in Puri. Since time immemorial, the sweet has been offered to Lord Jagannath.
"Devotees buy Khaja as Lord Jagannath's bhog and bring them to their house. They too distribute the sweet among neighbours and friends. Our Khaja has a specialty. It has not got GI tag due to negligence of the State Government," alleged a Khaja trader.
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✨Khaja is also called Pheni in Puri. Thousands of people have taken up Khaja making and trade as a source of earning.
While the District Industrial Centre (DIC) has declared Khaja-making as a small industry, in reality, no step has been taken to make a Khaja cluster. However, the district administration has assured to take steps in this regard soon.
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