A nod for a long-awaited salary hike for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) priests, approval to construct a Lord Sri Venkateswara Temple at Bandra in Mumbai, and approval for an integrated township in Tirupati for the convenience of devotees were among the key decisions the TTD Board took this week.
Here are the key decisions:
— The TTD has decided to increase the salaries of 62 priests, attendants, kitchen workers and prasadam distributors working at Tirumala and in TTD’s affiliated temples. The salaries of priests have been hiked from Rs 25,000 per month to Rs 45,000, attendants from Rs 23,140 to Rs 30,000, kitchen workers from Rs 24,279 to Rs 30,000, and prasadam distributors from Rs 23,640 to Rs 30,000.
— In view of the increasing number of devotees and the high demand for Tirupati ladoos and ‘prasadams’, the TTD has submitted a proposal to the state government to recruit 18 new cooks in the temple’s kitchen at Tirumala.
— The TTD decided to appoint an architect to plan an integrated township on 20 acres in Tirupati to provide accommodation and other facilities to devotees. The Board also issued new guidelines for donors for the construction and maintenance of cottages for devotees. Construction of a grand Sri Venkateswara Temple will shortly begin in Bandra in mumbai at a cost of Rs 14.40 crore, TTD Chairman B R Naidu said.
— The TTD has also decided to construct an accommodation complex for the convenience of Devotes at the sri vanjaneya swamy temple in Condartu, Jagtial District, in Neighbouring Telangana.
The Sri Padmavathi Children’s Heart Hospital in Tirupati is set for a major upgrade, with the TTD approving Rs 48 crore to acquire state-of-the-art equipment and provide better facilities. Based on the report submitted by the TTD Board’s Education Sub-Committee, approval was given for digital classrooms, CCTV cameras, computers, necessary software, required staff and other facilities in the 31 educational institutions under the TTD.
— A decision was made to increase the number of hostel seats at Sri Padmavathi Women’s Degree College in Tirupati by an additional 270 seats, in addition to the existing 2,100 seats. A committee has also been formed to rename roads and main junctions in Tirumala with names from Vaishnava Puranas, Alwars, Sri Vari names from Annamacharya Sankeertanas and other relevant names.
