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KCR praises Brahmins, doubles honorarium of Vedic pundits
KCR announced that the assistance being given to the priests of varoius temples under Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam programme would be increased from ₹6,000 to ₹10,000.
Hyderabad
Stating that Brahmins had always strived for the well-being of the society, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday announced an increase in the honorarium being given to Vedic pundits from ₹2,500 to ₹5,000 per month, besides reducing the age of eligibility for the beneficiaries from 75 years to 65 years.
Inaugurating “Viprahitha Brahmin Sadan,” a massive community hall for Brahmins at Gopanpally on the outskirts of Hyderabad, the chief minister said “purohits” were the well-wishers of the society and they always preached: “Loka: samastha sukhino bhavanthu” (people of the entire world should live in prosperity).
Stating that his government would ensuring the welfare of Brahmin community, KCR announced that the assistance being given to the priests of varoius temples under Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam programme would be increased from ₹6,000 to ₹10,000.
The scheme was presently being implemented in 3645 temples in the state and shortly, the assistance would be extended to another 2796 temples. With this, 6441 temples would be covered under the programme, he said.
The chief minister further said the one time of grant of ₹2 lakh being given to Veda Patasalas (Vedic schools) would now be made an annual grant. He said poor Brahmin students studying in IITs and IIMs would also be made eligible to get fee reimbursement.
KCR said the government had been releasing an annual grant of ₹100 crore to Brahmana Samkshema Parishad, established in 2017, to ensure welfare and development of Brahmin community, especially people below poverty line.
The chief minister said the Vipra Sadan was first of its kind in the country. “People from the community can perform marriages and other functions for free at the Kalyana mandapam in the Sadan. This apart, there is an auditorium, information centre and Seer’s accommodation centre on the premises, which is spread across nine acres,” he said.
The chief minister said three more Brahmin Sadans would be established at Suryapet, Madhira and Beechupalli under the aegis of Brahmin Samkshma Parishad.
