Alappuzha: Devaswom Minister G Sudhakaran has told the Travancore Devaswom Board to chalk out schemes to ensure the overall welfare of the Hindu devotees by utilising the funds lying at its disposal.
At a function at Punnapra Aravukadu Temple organised by the Guruvayur Devaswom to distribute the Rs 30-lakh total assistance being given to various temples in southern and central districts up to Ernakulam, the Minister said that from Sabarimala temple alone the TDB got Rs 83 crore during this season.
”Besides, Rs 600 crore is lying as fixed deposit in banks. The board should chalk out schemes aiming at the welfare of the Hindu devotees,” he said.
While urging the TDB and the Cochin Devaswom Board to emulate the activities of the Guruvayur Devaswom, he said that the main drawback of the administration in the TDB was that the devaswom commissioner there did not have sweeping powers enjoyed by the person functioning in the same rank in the Guruvayur Devaswom. “In the Guruvayur temple, the commissioner has the powers to overrule the decision taken by the managing committee," he said.
Sudhakaran justified the move to entrust the power of making appointments in the TDB with the PSC and said that the Hindu community would be benefited by such a step and the campaign from certain quarters against the move is misleading. He said that the TDB was being run by the provisions in the covenant framed during the time of princely rule in Travancore and the proposal to amend the provisions was pending with the Central Government.
Guruvayur Devaswom chairman Thottathil Raveendran presided over the function. Guruvayur Devaswom managing committee member Gokulam Gopalan, Devaswom administrator V Ratheesan, C S Sujatha MP, District Collector V K Balakrishnan and Alappuzha DCC former president G Balachandran attended the function.
Source: http://www.newindpress.com
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