Now the taste will be sweet. The controversial 'chikki' supplied to Ahmednagar district schools has been found unadulterated and fit for consumption by two government labs and this news brings relief to Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde.

Pankaja has been in the line of fire after it was alleged that she flouted rules while awarding contracts worth Rs 206 crore for procurement of various goods, including chikki (a snack bar made of jaggery and nuts). After the tender row, president of Ahmednagar Zilla Parishad Manisha Gund had alleged that the 'chikki' contained traces of mud.

Gund had written to state Women and Child Development (WCD) department claiming that the 'chikki' contained traces of mud.

The lab reports do not seem to have made much impact. Gund is not convinced by the reports of laboratories at Nashik and Pune and said she would wait for reports from other three government labs. 

Following Gund's letter, all chikkis supplied to Ahmednagar schools were seized and samples were sent for test. Gund said that the samples were taken and sealed in presence of officers from Food and Drugs department and that ZP functionaries were also present. "The reports from Government laboratories at Nashik and Pune stated that mud was not found in the samples and the items were in accordance to the standards finalised by of state government," she told reporters.

Gund said she had tasted the chikki and hence cannot believe the report. "I am waiting for report from three other laboratories which have been empanelled by the state," she said.