Distribution of free ladoos to Shirdi pilgrims

From Thursday, all pilgrims visiting the famous Saibaba Temple in Shirdi will be given a free packet of laddoos as sacrament. The decision by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) Shirdi follows the recent green signal to the proposal from the Bombay High Court, the chief official at the temple, Yashwant Mane, said."Until now, devotees were given a packet of three laddoos as prasad (sacrament) at a subsidized rate of Rs.10. From Thursday (August 15), each and every devotee will be given a packet of two laddoos free," Mane told reporters Tuesday. He said that the SST management felt this was the least they could give to each pilgrim. Many pilgrims arrive at the temple after travelling vast distances, from across the country and even abroad. Since queues are long, pilgrims often have to wait hours for darshan. The distribution of free laddoos has been widely welcomed. This will make SSST the first temple trust in the country to provide free prasad to all devotees. Nearly 60,000 are expected to be given out per day, and over 2.25 crore each year.