E-Paper
Vaishno Devi shrine received ₹572 cr in cash donations in around 2.5 years: RTI reveals
Devotees also offered 32.122 kgs gold ornaments and 7,671.45 kgs of silver ornaments for the same fiscal period
Vaishno Devi shrine, considered second richest in the country after Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanams, has received a donation of ₹572.21 crore in cash in just two and a half years, from 2024-25 to June 2026.
Devotees also offered 32.122 kgs gold ornaments and 7,671.45 kgs of silver ornaments for the same fiscal period.
The revelations came to light after an RTI application filed by Jammu-based RTI activist Raman Kumar Sharma.
The RTI comes amid a row over alleged fake silver offerings worth ₹550 crores being adjudicated by a local court in Jammu.
In response to the queries, joint chief executive officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Satish Kumar Sharma, in a written reply, informed that the shrine received ₹282.17 crore during the fiscal year 2024–2025, followed by ₹217.07 crore (unaudited) during 2025–2026 and ₹72.97 crore (unaudited) during 2026–2027 up to June.
On query regarding standard operating procedure (SOP) or policy document governing opening of ‘Danpatras’ (donation boxes) installed at different sites within the holy cave and outside, the joint chief executive officer appended an old but lengthy written statement of the chief accounts officer dated January 28, 2019. It enumerated that J&K Bank shall deploy Assistant Banking Associates (ABAs) or Banking Associates (BAs) for cash counting at the counting room at Bhawan. “There shall be frisking by two agencies, i.e. security personnel of the shrine board and the CRPF, both at the time of entry and exit of counting staff. The SMVDSB officials shall collect cash from all donation boxes at different locations in the Bhawan sector and hand over the same to the in-charge cash counter of the Bank at Bhawan in the counting room in the presence of the concerned official,” it stated.
“Other non-cash donations like gold, silver, etc. shall be segregated from the cash by SMVDSB officials before handing over the same to bank officials,” the reply added.
Similarly, the reply pointed out that the J&K Bank counting staff shall wear specially designed pocket-less uniforms (Dangries) at the time of counting and there shall be two officials from the shrine board side during the counting process in the counting room --one from the accounts wing and the other from administration.
The cash-counting operation shall be conducted on all days, including Sundays/holidays. Staff at the counter shall be deployed on a rotational basis. “The cash-counting process shall also be monitored through CCTV cameras in the offices of the chief executive officer, chief accounts officer and SDM Office, Bhawan. J&K Bank shall provide cash counters with note/coin counting, sorting and detection machines for counting/sorting and detection of soiled/fake notes,” it added.
The reply also stated a slew of measures to prevent pilferage and other mal-practices by the counting staff.
It is pertinent to mention that on August 5 the court of Jammu chief judicial magistrate headed by Munish Kumar Manhas had sought detailed inquiry report from the Jammu and Kashmir Police into the alleged ₹550-crore “fake silver” offerings row at the shrine.
The court directed the deputy superintendent of police, Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra, to submit a detailed inquiry report and take appropriate action regarding the facts stated in an application seeking urgent preservation of the evidence.
The matter has been listed for further proceedings on August 18.
The proceedings stemmed from an application filed by a senior high court lawyer Deepak Sharma, who had submitted a complaint to the inspector general of police; crime branch, Jammu; and the senior superintendent of police (SSP); crime branch; economic offences wing, Jammu, on May 9, alleging adulteration, substitution, pilferage and possible misappropriation of approximately 20 tonnes of silver offerings made by devotees at the shrine, which reportedly valued at around ₹550 crores.
