VIJAYAWADA: Endowments commissioner M Hari Jawaharlal on Wednesday conducted a one-day orientation programme for all temple executive officers and district endowments officers (DEOs) here at State Institute of Temple Administration (SITA) office in Seethanagaram.
During the session, the Endowments Commissioner discussed various methods to control corruption in temples, protection of temple lands and other properties. Deputy Chief Minister and Endowments Minister Kottu Satyanarayana attended the orientation programme through videoconference and expressed concern over encroachment of temple lands across the State.
Addressing the officials, he exhorted that it was the responsibility of all employees to make the Endowments department corruption-free and ensure that donations and lands offered by the devotees were protected. “It is a fact that acres of endowments land was encroached and it needed to be brought back and handed over to the respective temples. Based on the need, I will try my best to increase the staff for the purpose,” he said. He assured that additional staff will be recruited soon.