ONGOLE: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravikumar said the State government has released Rs 51 crore as a Christmas gift towards pending honorarium arrears for church pastors, covering the period from December 2024 to November 2025, and the amount will be credited to all eligible pastors’ accounts without delay.
The minister made the announcement while participating in several programmes, including the Addanki Assembly segment-level semi-Christmas festival celebrations in Addanki on Wednesday.
The Minister said the path shown by Jesus Christ is worth emulating by everyone, irrespective of caste or religion.
He cut the Christmas cake, conveyed greetings to the Christian community and presented new clothes to pastors from across the Addanki Assembly constituency. The minister said the coalition government led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu remains firmly committed to the welfare of Christians.
“The State government is in the process of releasing a total of `51 crore towards honorarium arrears for pastors. The TDP has the distinction of being the first to introduce honorarium payments to Christian pastors in the erstwhile united State,” he said.
Gottipati said welfare schemes are being implemented for all eligible citizens, transcending caste and religious boundaries.
He said the coalition government does not discriminate between supporters and opponents and strongly opposes attempts to create divisions among communities for political gain, reaffirming its commitment to social harmony.
A large number of Christians and coalition leaders attended the programme.