Keralam Dairy Development Minister Bindu Krishna on Friday said alleged irregularities in the supply of ghee to the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala had caused a loss of Rs 75.5 lakh to the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers' Union, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The minister said the union's governing body had been dissolved after the irregularities came to light, while a departmental investigation was in its final stage. The state government had also recently ordered a probe into allegations concerning the quality and quantity of ghee supplied during the 2025-26 pilgrimage season.
The Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers' Union is one of three regional unions under the Keralam Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, popularly known as Milma.
Responding to questions during Question Hour in the Assembly, Krishna said the largest part of the loss was caused by supplying ghee at Rs 510 per litre when its wholesale price was Rs 552 per litre, according to PTI.
"Several allegations had surfaced in connection with the issue. As the irregularities were serious, the regional union was dissolved. A departmental-level investigation is under way and is in its final stage," Krishna said.
She said all relevant files had been handed over to the Vigilance Department as part of the investigation. The role of the contractor responsible for transporting ghee to Sabarimala was also being investigated.
Krishna said the Dairy Development Department was committed to preventing such irregularities from recurring and that strict action would be taken against those found guilty.
She added that the government would introduce a monitoring system covering the entire supply chain, from the ghee production unit to its delivery at Sabarimala.
Minister K Muraleedharan said the Travancore Devaswom Board had informed the government that it would test the quality of ghee at Pamba before transporting it to the Sabarimala temple complex from the 2026-27 pilgrimage season.
The statements came amid allegations that Milma had supplied inferior-quality ghee and that there were irregularities in the quantity supplied to Sabarimala during the 2025-26 pilgrimage season.
A Special Investigation Team constituted by the Kerala High Court has registered an FIR as part of its investigation into the alleged irregularities in the procurement and supply of Milma ghee to the Ayyappa temple, PTI reported.
The alleged supply irregularities caused a loss of Rs 75.5 lakh to the regional milk union, prompting its dissolution and investigations by the department, the Vigilance Department and the Special Investigation Team.
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