As many as 21 temples across Tamil Nadu are collectively generating an annual revenue of ₹17.76 crore through interest earned under the state government’s gold monetisation scheme, according to State Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister PK Sekar Babu.
Unutilised gold ornaments, weighing a total of 1,074 kg, that had been offered as donations to various temples were melted into bars and deposited with the SBI’s gold investment scheme in the names of the respective temples.
On October 12, gold weighing 53.38 kg from four temples in Kancheepuram district—specifically the Sri Kamakshi Amman temple, Subrahmanyaswamy temple (Kundrathur), Nithyakalyanaperumal temple (Tiruvidanthai), and Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple (Tirumalaivaiyavur)—was handed over to the SBI in the presence of retired Supreme Court judge Dorai Swamy Raju, state Ministers, and government officials.
The Minister further informed that 378.6 kg of gold from 12 additional temples is due to be deposited with the bank in the next phase. In a press release issued on Monday, he stated that government orders will shortly be issued to execute the gold deposit scheme in the Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwar temple (Madurai), Bannari Amman temple (Erode), and Kariyakaliaman temple (Tiruppur).
The interest income generated from the gold monetisation scheme will be directed towards funding improvement works at the temples.
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