A day after the opposition parties and Hindu organisations staged protests against the directions issued to the managements of temples to withdraw fixed deposits (FDs), Endowments Minister Kottu Satyanarayana on Monday asserted that there was no iota of truth in the allegations that the funds of the temples were being diverted.
“As per rules, the temples with income of more than ₹5 lakh per annum have to contribute 9% towards the Common Good Fund (CGF). The State government, however, was collecting the CGF contribution from the temples with income above ₹20 lakh. Despite this, the Opposition is levelling allegations,” the Minister told the media on Monday.
He said that several temples were not crediting their contribution towards the CGF and the dues stood at ₹160 crore. “The temple managements are treating such amount as surplus and making fixed deposits. There is no scope for corruption in this regard,” he said.
The Minister also refuted the allegations that the endowments funds were being used for the expenditure incurred on development of other religions. “From the temple Executive Officer to Endowments Commissioner, everyone is accountable with regard to the temple funds,” he added.
