Stalin gives enhanced funds to run Kanniyakumari, Pudukkottai temples

The Chief Minister distributed the cheques to the concerned HR&CE officials at a function in Secretariat. Under Suchindram- Kanniyakumari Devasthanam there are 490 temples and all these 490 temples were brought under the Devasthanam at the time of formation of states. 

The state allotted Rs 3 crore as annual administrative and maintenance cost for the temples and as there were demands to increase the allocation and HR&CE Minister PK Sekarbabu made the announcement for increasing the allocation from Rs 3 crore to Rs 6 crore in the Assembly.

Similar announcement was also made in the Assembly for 225 temples coming under the administrative purview of Pudukkottai Devasthanam as the annual administrative and maintenance cost has been increased from Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 crore. After Government orders (GOs) were issued for both the announcements, recently, Chief Minister distributed the financial aid to the temples.

Moreover, the government has issued orders to set up a new welfare fund for the benefit of document writers and their families in the state.

An order issued by Jothi Nirmala, secretary of the state registration department, said that an entry fee of Rs 1,000 each would be collected from 5,188 licensed document writers (as of June 30, 2021) willing to sign up for the Document Writer’s Welfare Fund on a voluntary basis and Rs 10 per registration would be collected towards the welfare fund from people turning up for registrations.

As per the GO, document writers registered for the funds would be paid Rs 1,00,000 each for death due to accident, permanent disability and Rs 20,000 for other disabilities and natural death. Marriage assistance of Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 (women), maternity assistance of Rs 6,000, and education assistance for various levels of qualification among other benefits would be distributed. The government has lifted the annual ceiling for the number of beneficiaries of the welfare fund. It has been proposed to implement the fund without state contribution.