HYDERABAD, INDIA, December 1, 2016 (The Hindu): The Temple Protection Movement has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the recommendation of the Supreme Court for creation of a daily puja fund scheme for every temple. Movement convener M.V. Soundarrajan, in a statement, said it will be in tune with the demonetization exercise initiated by the prime Minister as a first step in the fight against parallel black economy and towards a less cash society and eventually to a cashless society.
He urged the Prime Minister to take suitable steps to implement the Supreme Court order to encourage temples to slowly migrate to a cashless model in the long term and the devotees to donate through the mobile phones too. The Supreme Court-appointed committee visited Chilkur Balaji temple in 1996 and made a recommendation to follow the Chilkur Bajaji temple model to deposit the amounts given by the devotees in the interest-yielding fixed deposits on permanent basis in the name of the Deity. That amount was used to pay remuneration to a priest though there is no remarkable income to the temple.
Dr. Soundarrajan said the Daily Puja fund scheme of Chilkur Balaji temple was a success with over US$1.5 million collected and the temple transitioned to complete cashless model with no cash donations accepted. Thus, the temple does not provide any avenue to black money holders to deposit cash in hundis with the mistaken premise that it would rid them of the sin of hoarding such money if a percentage was contributed to Lord’s hundi, he said.