Post news network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 9: Science and technology (S&T) minister Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy will chair the first-ever meeting of the three committees, constituted recently to counter West Bengal’s claim over the origination of the sweetmeat.
“I have called a meeting with the committees tomorrow (Friday) to discuss the information they have obtained from several experts. After examining it, the committees will submit an interim report to the government soon,” Panigrahy said.
According to sources, one committee is collecting the evidence while another panel is examining the veracity of Bengal’s claim and the third collecting the necessary papers and facts to make Orissa’s stand vindicated. The three panels comprise members from S&T, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and culture departments.
Notably, a raging debate has ensured over origination of the sweetmeat. The West Bengal government has taken steps to obtain geographical indication (GI) tag that the sweet had originated in their state. The WB government believes it was invented in the erstwhile Calcutta by confectioner Nabin Chandra Das while Orissa has been claiming that it was invented in the holy city of Puri way back in the 13th Century.