This year, Bonalu is being conducted at an especially grand scale across Telangana since it could not be celebrated last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Talking about the government's initiative to make the celebrations a success, Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav today said, "The government has allocated Rs 15 crore for the celebration of Bonalu and has set aside Rs 90 crore for the development of various temples in Telangana."
During a meeting at the Salarjung Museum, the minister reviewed the preparations for the festivities to be held in the Old City area on August 1. He instructed the concerned officials to make the requisite arrangements to ensure that the devotees visiting temples on the occasion could enjoy "hassle-free darshans".
He stated, "Our government has given Rs 15 crore to various temples to conduct Bonalu on a grand scale. These funds have been used to equip the temples with the required facilities and infrastructure ahead of the festival. Besides this, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has sanctioned Rs 90 crore for the development of various other religious sites in the state, too."
The minister later visited Balkampet's Yellamma Temple in Ameerpet.
While there, he revealed, "We are praying to goddess Jagadamba to end the coronavirus pandemic and root out other diseases as well, and to bless Telangana's people with good health and prosperity."
Yesterday, the minister, along with Environment and Forests Minister A Indrakaran Reddy,
participated in the Bonalu festivities at Hyderabad's historic Golconda Fort. They offered golden bonams and silk clothes to deity Jagadamba on behalf of the state government.