Guntur zone deputy commissioner M.V. Sureshbabu said 80 priests were drawing Rs 5,000 per month
AP Finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu
GUNTUR: In the nearly 2,111 temples in Guntur district, there are more than 2,700 employees working in different categories, including archakas, paricharikas, bhajantris, barbers, cooks and assistant cooks, sannai, dolu and other workers, either on consolidated pay or contract basis.
However, only 80 priests get a minimum remuneration of Rs 5,000 a month and a list having names of about 200 archakas is under consideration for sanctioning additional salary under the state government’s new programme — Archakas and other employees salary and remuneration fund. Under this programme, the archakas and other employees will get a minimum salary of Rs 5,000.
Finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, in his budget speech this March, proudly announced that a special corpus fund of Rs 250 crore would be set up as ‘Archakas and other Employees Salary and Remuneration Fund’ to ensure a minimum salary of Rs 5,000 to priests and others.
Mr Narasimha Chary, a priest at the Venugopala Swami temple at Rayapudi in the capital region, said he had never received Rs 5,000 salary and that he even did not know that a hike was being planned for archakas and others.
Endowments department, Guntur zone deputy commissioner M.V. Sureshbabu said 80 priests were drawing Rs 5,000 per month and that the remaining will also get a similar salary in a phased manner.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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