Meat Banned in Government Guesthouses

[Guest guest]

Meat Banned in Government Guesthouses

 

Wednesday April 18 7:58 AM ET

 

AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) - Meat will no longer be on the menu in state-run

guest-houses in India's Gujarat following a year-long ban imposed by the

government from May 1, a senior state government official said Wednesday.

 

``The ban (on non-vegetarian food) has been ordered as a mark of respect to

Lord Mahavir, whose 2,600th birth anniversary is being observed throughout

the country,'' H.P Jamdar, Gujarat's principal secretary for roads and

building, told Reuters.

 

Lord Mahavir was the founder of Jainism, a faith that believes in ahimsa or

non-violence.

 

Liquor is also banned in predominantly vegetarian Gujarat as a tribute to

Mahatma Gandhi, a Gujarati who propagated prohibition. The state is ruled by

the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party.

 

``As it is, about 90 percent of people staying in state guest-houses don't

consume non-vegetarian food, so the ban means little inconvenience to

visitors,'' Jamdar said.

 

 

http://dailynews./h/nm/20010418/od/vegetarian_dc_1.html