Bhubaneswar, Oct 13: The State government is planning to distribute Mahaprasad free of cost to devotees in the Shreemandir in the coming days, said Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan. 

The Minister said a scheme will be launched soon to distribute Mahaprasad to devotees free of cost. 

"Every Jagannath devotee aspires to eat Mahaprasad. The state government has already started preparations in this regard," Harichandan said. 

He said the scheme will run with donations from the devotees. 

"We have requested well-to-do devotees to make donations so the scheme can run without burdening the State exchequer. Some have also come forward to support the move," said the Minister. 

The Minister further said that about Rs 15 crore will be spent on the proposed free distribution of Mahaprasad if the number of devotees visiting the Shreemandir per annum is taken into consideration. 

Meanwhile, concerned servitors of the Shreemandir have hailed the State government's decision.  

Notably, such a provision was launched in 2017. As devotees appreciated the move, the former BJD government made a budgetary provision of Rs 1.5 crore in the 2018-19 budget. However, the government failed to implement the scheme then.