mata vaishno devi shrine

Contaminated Silver Offerings at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Contain Only 5-6% Silver

The Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board dispatched approximately 20 tonnes of silver offerings to a government mint, but assayers discovered the metal contained only 5-6% actual silver, with the remainder being toxic cadmium and iron. The contaminated metal is worth roughly Rs 30 crore instead of the expected Rs 500-550 crore. Cadmium is banned in consumer goods under Bureau of Indian Standards norms due to its carcinogenic fumes. The mint has formally flagged the issue to the Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor and Shrine Board but no documented action has been taken.