The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), a part of the commerce ministry, removed the word 'halal' from a red meat export manual.
The move came as some Hindu groups complained that the use of the term gives an unfair business advantage to Muslim exporters. 'Halal' is a term used for consumables permitted under Islam. Several Islamic countries import only 'halal-certified' meat.
A section of the older manual read, “…The animals are slaughtered strictly according to ‘Halal’ method to meet the requirement of Islamic countries”. In the revised version, that section reads, “The animals are slaughtered to the requirement of importing country/importer.”