• Along with Kollur Temple, other famous temples like Kukke Sri Subrahmanya, Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple, Dharmasthala in DK district and Marikamba Temple, Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district also are selected under BHOG.

• These temples received the BHOG certificates by the FSSAI for serving quality and safe food to devotees.
• The FSSAI considers the quality of Naivedya (food consecrated to a deity), quality of food served to devotees, methods for food preparation, management of kitchen and others to award the certificate.

About Seva Bhoj Yojana:

• Union Ministry of Culture has launched- ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’– a scheme to reimburse central share of CGST and IGST on food, prasad, langar or bhandara offered by religious and charitable institutions.
• The scheme seeks to reimburse the central government’s share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) on purchase of raw items such as ghee, edible oil, atta, maida, rava, flour, rice pulses, sugar and jaggery, which go into preparation of food/prasad/langar/bhandara offered free of cost by religious institutions.

Objective

The main objective of the scheme is to lessen the financial burden of such charitable religious institutions, which provide free of cost without any discrimination to the general public and devotees.

Type of activities supported under the scheme

• Free ‘prasad’ or free food or free ‘langar’ / ‘bhandara’ (community kitchen) offered by charitable religious institutions like Gurudwara, Temples, Dharmik Ashram, Mosques, Dargah, Church, Mutt, Monasteries etc.
• Financial Assistance will be provided on First-cum-First Serve basis of registration linked to funds available for the purpose in a Financial Year.

Quantum of assistance

• Financial Assistance in the form of reimbursement shall be provided where the institution has already paid GST on all or any of the raw food items listed below :
• Ghee, Edible oil, Sugar / Burra / Jaggery, Rice, Atta / Maida / Rava /Flour, Pulses

• The total amount of CGST and Central Government’s share of IGST that would be reimbursed on purchases in the Financial Year 2019-20 will be capped at a maximum of 10% of the current financial year i.e. 2018-19.