BENGALURU: The government will set up goshalas at 25 major revenue-generating temples across the state under the Endowments Department. The temple trust will run these goshalas, said Endowments Minister Kota Srinivas Pujari. In Karnataka, there are 34,559 temples under the Muzarai Department. Of these, 175 temples are Class A (with an annual revenue of over Rs 25 lakh), 163 are Class B (annual income between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh) and 34,221 are Class C temples (annual income of less than Rs 5 lakh).
Pujari said goshalas will be set up at Class A temples. “We have identified 25 such temples and have asked concerned DCs to look for land in and around the premises. We might need 10 acres to 15 acres of land, either belonging to the temple or the government,” he said. This apart, the department has constituted a committee that will be headed by senior IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri. The committee will look into the safeguarding of temples and its finances.
On Sapthapadi, the ambitious mass marriage programme by the government will conducted on April 26 and May 25 this year, Pujari said, adding that they’ve received 1,218 applications from across the state.
“We have asked the others to furnish all the necessary documents. There’s time till March 27 to do this,” he said.