HYDERABAD: Even as Telangana’s students protest the non-release of funds towards fee reimbursement schemes and farmers cry hoarse over non-release of crop loan waiver funds, the state government on Wednesday decided to present a golden crown to Goddess Bhadrakali in Warangal at an estimated cost of `3 crore.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao approved the release of funds on Wednesday. It may be recalled that Rao cleared the gifts to be given to various deities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in his first Cabinet meeting. The gifts were offered as part of a fulfilment of Rao’s vows. Rao had vowed to make these gifts if a separate Telangana state was created. Earlier, the state government sanctioned `5.59 crore to meet the expenditure for gold offerings to five temples, which included a golden saligrama haaram and five-petala kante worth `5 crore for Sri Venkateswara Swamy at Tirumala and Goddess Padmavathi Ammaru of Tiruchanoor in Tirupati respectively. The other offerings vowed by the CM included the 2kg golden crown to Bhadrakali at a cost of `57 lakh. However, the cost of the offering has been increased to `3 crore now.
The offerings to be made by the government included 15 gms gold nose-stud to goddess Kanakadurga in Vijayawada and golden moustaches to Veerabhadra Swamy in Kuravi.