Members of Bihar Legislative Assembly come out of the House with jaggery packets on Friday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Wrapped with a healthy message, the sugarcane industry department today spread sweetness among legislators with bricks of jaggery.

The department gifted all the legislators chemical-free jaggery from Sugarcane Research Institute of Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa, in Samastipur.

On the top of the packet, the tag read: Tasty, pure and good for health.

Organic and chemical-free jaggery is recommended a healthy option to sugar since it is a rich source of iron, folic acid, Vitamin B and calcium.

Speaking to The Telegraph, sugarcane industry minister Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha said the purpose of distributing jaggery to the people’s representatives was to promote the use of the organic food.

“People should widely use the product because it is chemical free. It does not have additional chemicals except the sugarcane juice. It is free of all kinds of adulteration. We have started producing the jaggery at Pusa. Its trade is thriving across Bihar,” added the minister.

As soon as the jaggery packets were distributed, the Assembly environment turned friendly. Legislators, who otherwise lock horns on every issue, were seen exchanging smiles after getting a kilogram of jaggery.

Expressing happiness with the department’s sweet gesture, JD(U) MLA from Asthawa, Jitendra Kumar said: “I love jaggery, especially with beaten rice and curd. It gives a taste better than sugar. Jaggery is low on calories and extremely good for health.”

In a lighter vein, he added: “I will finish the gift within days. The department should have given us more. It is a very good initiative of the department and I hope more such gifts are in store this budget session.”

The gift was given to all the 243 MLAs. Coming Monday, the 63 members of legislative council would get the similar gift. The cost of chemical-free jaggery is Rs 40 a kg. Going by the number of legislators in both the Houses, the department has spent Rs 12,240 on the rare gift.

The BJP MLA from Guruwa in Gaya district, Surendra Prasad Sinha, was all praise for the organic food.

“I have jaggery instead of sugar. It is hygienic and also our traditional sweetener. When visitors come to meet me, I offer them jaggery and water. I must thank the department for choosing an organic food for a gift,” he said.

“I think all health-conscious people like jaggery, which is full of vitamins and minerals. The one that was gifted to us today was of rich quality. One would not get jaggery of such quality at the roadside shops,” said Darbhanga BJP MLA Sanjay Sarawagi.