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Aagama pundits will have final say: Endowments Minister
Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and others inaugurating Assistant Commissioner’s office building in Ongole on Monday
- The minister inaugurates the Endowments Department Assistant Commissioner’s office building in Ongole
- Says that establishing endowments department offices in every district is a key decision of the coalition govt
Ongole: Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy along with Social Welfare Minister Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, collector A Thameem Ansariya, and others inaugurated the Endowments Department Assistant Commissioner’s office building in Ongole on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, Ramanarayana said that the Aagama pundits will decide on the services being offered to the presiding deities, and the department officials have no say in it. He said that establishing endowments department offices in every district is a key decision of the coalition government, following the directions of the Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. He said that a similar office was recently opened in Nellore, and Regional Joint Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner offices will soon be inaugurated in the Tirupati district.
The minister highlighted that monthly funding for temple rituals (Dhupa Deepa Naivedyam) has been increased to Rs 10,000 for approximately 5,600 temples, up from the previous government’s allocation of Rs 5,000, covering only 5,000 temples.
He said that proposals for an additional 300 temples are currently under review for inclusion in the programme.
The Minister outlined several ongoing initiatives, including temple renovation under the Conservation Grant Fund (CGF) scheme, expediting funds allocation based on requests from parliamentary and assembly constituencies, providing Rs 3,000 for three years to Vedic scholars, implementing salary support of Rs 15,000 for temple priests and Rs 20,000 for Nayi Brahmins in temples. Minister Ramanarayana Reddy added that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has ordered the implementation of daily free meal programmes at major temples across the state. He emphasised that reforms in the Endowments department have begun, with directives to plant trees at temples for environmental protection, and to ensure that all temple rituals are conducted according to Agama Shastra traditions, with final decisions resting with Agama scholars rather than department officials.
MLAs Damacharla Janardhana Rao, Muthumula Ashok Reddy, Kandula Narayana Reddy, Dr Mukku Ugranarasimha Reddy, BN Vijay Kumar, AP Maritime Board chairman Damacharla Sathya, APTDC chairman Dr Nukasani Balaji, and others participated in the programme.
