BENGALURU: In a first in the country, archakas working at muzrai temples run by the state government will get pension, health insurance and life insurance benefits from now on. The state Endowments Department manages 34,559 temples.
Of these, 175 are Class A whose annual revenue is above Rs 25 lakh, 163 are Class B with an annual income between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh and 34,221 are Class C with an income of less than Rs 5 lakh. Over 50,000 people, including chief archaks, archaks and other staff, are working at these temples.
The health insurance is up to Rs 5 lakh and will cover the staff members and their families, a department official said. Till now, the temple staff did not have health insurance, employee state insurance or provident fund benefits.
The government is likely to announce the scheme by the end of this month, he added. “We are conducting a survey and collecting data on the health and death of the temple staff. Based on the survey, we will design the insurance format,” the official said.