Union Minister Giriraj Singh asked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to put an immediate ban on Halal certificates on Food products in Bihar and gave the example of the Uttar Pradesh government. He raised concerns about an alleged link between Halal certification and potential involvement in socially discriminatory and terrorist activities.

The Union minister said there is no connection to Islamic standards and it is an attempt to Islamize products which are not related to the religion. He said institutions were becoming self proclaimed authorities in issuing Halal certificates. He accused institutions of receiving large payments from companies manufacturing the food products.

Singh said there is a large conspiracy between Halal certification and business is not unfounded. He cited the example of the Uttar Pradesh government and urged the Bihar CM to take similar measures in the state. The Uttar Pradesh government had imposed a ban on distribution and sale of certain Halal certified products which included medicines, garments and dairy.

According to a state government notification edible oil, sugar and bakery products which are labeled as Halal certified by companies which are producing them would be banned from sale and distribution. The notification said Halal certification of food products is a parallel system which creates confusion about the quality of food items.

The notification added The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the country’s apex body which is in charge of determining standards for most food products which are sold in the country and is responsible for determining the standards food products are supposed to meet.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman supported the move by the Uttar Pradesh government saying food certification should be done by government agencies and not by non-governmental organizations. She said food testing and food quality are essentially a government job.

During the festival of Diwali, the market is fooded with adulterated mithai which is either chemicals or colours. As India gets ready for Diwali it would be great to make mithai at home only. Mithai which is made at home is loaded with love and healthy ingredients. One can consume the sweets made at home without any worry. Making sweets at home takes a lot of hard work but one does not compromise in terms of quality. Here are some Diwali sweets which will double your celebrations

Kalakand

To make Kalakand at home condensed milk is simmered with paneer until it thickens. Cardomom powder is added and mixed well. The mixture is spread on a grease tray and then it is left to set. The sweet dish is garnished with chopped nuts and refrigerated until firm. The sweet is sliced into squares for a delightful experience.

Kaju Katli

In order to prepare Kaju Katli, cashews are ground into a fine powder. It is then cooked with sugar syrup until it becomes thick. The mixture is rolled thin. It is then cut into diamond shapes. The sweet is garnished with an edible silver leaf.

Besan Ke Laddu

In order to prepare mouth watering Besan Laddus. Besan is roasted in ghee till it turns golden brown. The process fills the air with a beautiful aroma. Powdered sugar is mixed with chopped nuts and cardamom. The Laddus are then shaped into ground laddus. These sweets form the essence of tradition and festival of Diwali.

Dry Fruits Laddu

One can even make sweets of dry fruits. In order to make dry fruit Laddus pistachios, almonds and cashews are mixed with cashews into a fine powder. Then this nut mixture is blended with a touch of ghee, figs and chopped dates. The mixture is mixed in the shape of balls.Get ready to enjoy your dry fruit Laddus.     

Swiggy increased the platform cost for food delivery orders to Rs 3 per order, a 50% increase over the previous platform price of Rs 2 according to a report.

According to the report, the updated platform charge went into effect on October 4 and was initially only applied to food orders placed in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. However, it was then extended to all regions of the country where the business operates.

Since April of this year, the meal delivery aggregator with its headquarters in Bengaluru has been charging a platform fee for food orders. Swiggy charges a Rs 2 discount on the platform cost, making the effective amount per order Rs 3 instead of Rs 5.

Zomato, the company’s principal competitor, has also been charging a Rs 2 platform fee for each order. Nonetheless, the article mentioned that it costs Rs 3 in some cities.

Speaking with the publication, a Swiggy representative said that most food aggregators charge a platform fee, thus no special action was taken in this regard.

The platform fee, which refers to the income a business receives from each unit of sale or order, is particularly noteworthy as a strategy to enhance unit economics. According to a source, businesses like Zepto, BB Now, Uber, and BigBasket’s rapid commerce division have been adding this fee to each order.

The owner Prosus of Swiggy, a domestic food aggregator, said in June that the company had an 80 percent year-over-year increase in losses to over $540 million in 2022. Sriharsha Majety, the founder and CEO of Swiggy, stated in a May blog post that the meal delivery service began turning a profit as of March of this year.

The capital assist project, which was introduced in 2017, is a first-of-its-kind approach meant to empower restaurant owners by bridging the finance gap. According to a statement from the company, over 8,000 restaurants have received loans thus far, with 3,000 of the loans being obtained in 2022 alone.