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BHUBANESWAR: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri has determined to drift a formidable donation plan in May to shore up the shrine’s income. The SJTA has set a goal to boost the temple’s corpus fund to Rs 1,000 crore by 2023 Rath Yatra (June or July) from the present Rs 650 crore.
“We are working on the big plan to encourage devotees to donate to the temple. Donation boxes would be installed at the airport, railway station, educational institutions, and companies. Currently, we receive around Rs 12 crore donation annually from the temple hundi (donation box),” SJTA’s chief administrator Krishan Kumar stated after holding a preparatory assembly to finalize the temple funds for 2021-22.
The enchancment assumes significance because of the state meeting lately handed a unanimous decision to permit devotees to contribute in money or kind for the formidable Jagannath heritage hall mission all through the temple. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan earlier urged the Puri king Dibyasingha Deb to data a donation-seeking drive for Jagannath temple, akin to Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan, a fund-elevating initiative for Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
As the income assortment of the temple fell considerably owing to the Covid pandemic final yr, the shrine administration stated efforts are being made to develop additional earnings sources for the temple. The administration stated falling financial institution prices of curiosity are usually not yielding good returns from the mounted deposits of the temple. Notably, the temple administration had lastly yr withdrawn nearly Rs 545 crore from crisis-hit YES Bank and deposited it in two nationalized banks amid big public outrage.
“We will try to generate more revenue from the stone quarries owned by the temple administration in the Tapang area of Khurda district. Besides, commercial stores would be constructed on lands of the temple at different places. The rents would boost the temple revenue,” Kumar stated.
In the funds preparatory assembly, the temple administration has contemplate to make an allocation of Rs 50 lakh for servitors and their households for the therapy of significant illnesses. The administration has furthermore determined to launch Sevak welfare fund for servitors from the subsequent monetary yr. “We will deposit Rs 5 crore annually in the proposed Sevak welfare fund. The money will come in use for servitors for health and educational purposes,” Kumar stated. The temple’s closing funds for 2021-22 are susceptible to be pegged at nearly Rs 202 crore.
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