Shree Jagannatha Temple’s Rs 190-cr annual budget gets nod

Puri: The Shree Jagannatha Temple Managing Committee today approved a budget proposal of Rs 190 crore for 2021-22, informed Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration’s (SJTA) Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar.

Following a meeting of the temple managing committee under the chairmanship of Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, Kumar stated the budget is revenue surplus of Rs 21 crore. Income of the temple will be Rs 106 crore whereas the expenditure will be around Rs 85 crore.

The SJTA chief added a little more than Rs 37 crore is expected to be accrued from interest on different funds.

The Corpus Foundation Temple Fund will get additional Rs 70 crore this year and will reach Rs 750 crore from the existing Rs 675 crore, the SJTA official added.

He also said cluster environmental clearance for stone quarries in Tapang and Khordha areas, which are owned by the Shree Jagannatha Temple, have been received. Individual environmental clearance for stone quarries is expected before March 2022.

The temple administration will receive Rs 60 crore from land acquisition by district administrations.

The SJTA Chief Administrator added in Makar Sankranti, the temple’s donation scheme will be launched and online portal for the purpose will be unveiled.

An agreement will be signed between Apollo Hospitals and the temple administration to provide medical care to sevaks and SJTA officials at discounted rates.

He further informed a devotee has agreed to sponsor silver plating of doors of the Surjya Mandir on premises of the Shree Jagannatha Temple, without revealing the identity of the donor.