VHP's 'Sanatani certificate' drive no longer limited to eateries only, will continue whole year

The Kanwar Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage dedicated to Lord Shiva, commenced on July 11 and would continue till July 25.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has now decided to run the "Sanatani certification" campaign throughout the year and not just during the month of “Sawan”.

According to reports, other establishments along with food items will also be included in this campaign. After inspection, the establishments will be given Sanatani certificates, according to Jagran. VHP says that this campaign is a certification of purity and is not against anyone.

These saffron stickers, bearing slogans like “Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain” and “Sanatani vyaparik sansthan,” are being pasted on restaurant and grocery store walls along the routes Kanwariyas will take.

VHP state general secretary Surendra Gupta told Jagran that the campaign was getting a good response. Not just food shops but auto dealers, electronics items and sellers of many other products will reportedly be included in it. According to Gupta, currently the certification of 1.5 lakh shops has been decided. He clarified that this is not against anyone. “It is just a certification of purity,” he told Jagran.

Earlier, the VHP said the primary aim of the ‘Sanatani certification campaign’ was to ensure that places selling food during the annual Kanwar Yatra  are pure vegetarian (satvik) and that the owners and operators align with Sanatani values and practices.

According to reports, teams were formed in each of the city's 30 districts to paste the stickers in 5,000 shops.

Gupta earlier told Times of India that Shiva devotees undertake a very "strenuous and pious" pilgrimage and must be provided with proper facilities to ensure that it does not get "corrupted".

"The devotees do not even put their water containers on the ground during their yatra. If they buy anything to eat from any of these shops, they should be sure that it is as per the traditional values of sanatan dharma," he said, adding that the business owners are being asked to give "swaichchhik pramanikta" (voluntary certification) of the purity of the food items.

The move comes days after tourism minister Kapil Mishra, who heads a panel of MLAs overseeing preparations for the yatra, said meat shops on such roads would remain closed. But Municipal Corporation of Delhi said it didn't have power to issue such an order.

As part of its arrangements for the yatra, MCD said 25 Kanwar camps have been set up across Delhi, where 22 doctors will be on regular duty, supported by 10 on-call medical professionals. Additionally, 62 support staff and 12 mobile dental vans have been deployed to provide round-the-clock healthcare services, as per a PTI report.

The Kanwar Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage dedicated to Lord Shiva, commenced on July 11 and would continue till July 25.