KCR Announces Increase In Honorarium For Veda Sastra Pandits

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today announced an increase in the monthly honoraria paid to Veda Sastra pandits from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000.

The CM also announced that the eligibility age to the beneficiaries for the honoraria would be reduced from 75 to 65 years.

KCR was inaugurating the Viprahitha Brahmin Sadan at Gopannapally on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the State government had also decided to bring another 2,796 temples under the Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam program.

Currently, a total of 3,645 temples were being covered under the program, and with the fresh addition of 2,796 temples, a total of 6,441 temples would come under the program, KCR said.

Under the Dhoopa Deepa Naivedhyam program, Rs 6,000 per month is given to archakas for the maintenance of their temples. Now, the State government had decided to also increase that to Rs 10,000, KCR announced.

He also said that the Rs 2 lakh assistance being extended for the operations and maintenance of Veda Pathasalas would now be made an annual grant.

The State government had also decided to extend the fee imbursement scheme to students pursuing education in the IITs and IIMs, the Chief Minister said.

Claiming that the BRS government was committed to working for the welfare of the Brahmin community, the Chief Minister said that Rs 100 crore was being allocated to the Brahmin Parishad every year.

Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, MP Ranjith Reddy, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi, senior bureaucrats including Ramana Chary and Rajiv Sharma, BRS leaders Captain Lakshmikanta Rao and Venugopala Chary, and heads of different Peethams were present at the event.