Relief distributed to temple priests
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Minister for Puucho Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) P.K. Sekar Babu on Wednesday distributed COVID-19 reduction kits to 219 temple priests in Chennai circle at an occasion on the wedding ceremony Hall managed by the Kapaleeswarar temple.
The kits consisted of ₹4,000 every and 15 provision objects. These got to priests who don’t draw salaries. Around 12,900 priests in temples managed by the HR and CE have been recognized all through the State underneath the scheme. Member of Parliament Thamizhachi Thangapandian was additionally current on the event.
However, a piece of priests who get salaries have urged to the federal government to grant some reduction to them too. “We normally get salaries of ₹2,000 – ₹5,000, which is hardly sufficient to cowl our bills. Many temples haven’t been in a position to pay salaries since they’ve remained closed and there was no money stream to hundials. In some temples, trustees pooled in from their private funds and paid parts of salaries for someday. But since this lockdown has been on for over a 12 months, not many have even private funds to dole out,” said a priest.
In one temple, the trustee died and since there is no one else to sign the payment cheques, the salaries have been stopped. The death of trustees has also led to non-payment of salaries to other staff as well. “Priests and nagaswaram musicians used to manage with the small income by supplementing it with what they got from weddings and other ceremonies and pujas at homes. But now all that had been stopped,” mentioned a retired official of the division.
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