Andhra Pradesh is set to launch a significant initiative: the construction of 5,000 new temples within Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities over the next five years. This extensive project, as revealed by Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, will be primarily funded by public contributions.
During a press conference held in Nellore on Tuesday, Minister Reddy elaborated that the financial backbone for this monumental undertaking would be the Common Good Fund (CGF), which accumulates a substantial portion of its resources from temple offerings and various public donations.
Highlighting the state government’s unwavering commitment to preserving and promoting temple traditions, Minister Reddy reminded the public of the existing provision of ₹10,000 per month allocated for ‘Dhoopa Deepa Naivedya’ (daily rituals) for 5,523 temples across the state. He further stated that this support would be expanded to include an additional 1,000 temples by October.
Beyond construction, the government is also focused on revitalizing ‘Sanatana Dharma’ through several supportive measures. These include increasing the salaries of priests and providing a monthly ‘Sambhavana’ (honorarium) of ₹3,000 to 600 Vedic students for a three-year period. Additionally, the Minister confirmed that the process of establishing new trust boards for thousands of temples operating under the Endowments department is underway and is expected to be finalized between December and March.