Chief Minister M.K. Stalin Distributes Scholarships Worth Rs. 50 Lakhs to 500 Students of Temple Priests

Chennai : Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, distributed scholarships worth Rs. 50 lakhs to 500 students, the children of priests serving in temples under the One-Time Pooja Scheme, as part of their higher education assistance.

Today (4.10.2024), at the Secretariat, Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, through the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, presented scholarship cheques worth Rs. 10,000 each to 10 students as a symbolic representation of the Rs. 50 lakh total scholarship fund to 500 students, for their higher education.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department is continuously undertaking significant projects such as temple renovations, conducting consecration ceremonies, improving basic amenities for devotees, recovering temple properties from illegal occupiers, and safeguarding the welfare of both active and retired temple employees.

After the compassionate intervention of Honorable Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, the funding allocated for One-Time Pooja Scheme temples to conduct daily poojas was raised from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh. The government also increased the honorarium for priests in 12,959 temples, providing a monthly grant of Rs. 130 crores. Over the past three years, an additional 4,041 temples without adequate funds have been included in the scheme, bringing the total number of beneficiary temples to 17,000.

The Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs. 210.41 crores for this scheme, and a subsidy of Rs. 6 crores has been provided to cover the electricity costs of these temples, with payments made directly through electronic means.

Additionally, as part of this scheme, priests serving in the One-Time Pooja Scheme temples are receiving a monthly incentive of Rs. 1,000, introduced for the first time.

In the budget for 2024-2025, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department announced, “For the welfare of the children of priests working in the One-Time Pooja Scheme temples, scholarships of Rs. 10,000 per student will be provided to 500 students for higher education.”

To implement this announcement, scholarships of Rs. 10,000 each were provided today to 10 students by the Honorable Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. These scholarships will support 500 students, the children of priests serving in the One-Time Pooja Scheme temples, through funds allocated for school and college education.

As a result, children of priests pursuing higher education in government and private colleges in fields such as arts, science, engineering, and medicine will benefit. Last year, on 24.11.2023, the Honorable Chief Minister distributed educational scholarships to 400 students under this scheme.

The event was attended by Honorable Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, P.K. Sekarbabu, Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, IAS, Principal Secretary of Tourism, Culture, and Religious Endowments, Dr. B. Chandramohan, IAS, Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, P.N. Sridhar, IAS, and other senior officials.