BHUBANESWAR: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday assured a delegation of BJD MPs that Shree Jagannath Temple funds, parked in the trouble-torn Yes Bank, are safe.
The BJD team, led by Prasanna Acharya, called on the Minister in New Delhi and urged her to take steps to release the funds stuck in the bank.
They stated that this was an emotional issue as it involved money belonging to lakhs of devotees. The issue needs urgent attention, they stressed.
“We met the Union Minister today to discuss the SJTA funds deposited in Yes Bank. We urged her to take steps so that the funds can be withdrawn without any hassles. She has assured us that SJTA funds are safe and there will be no problem at all,” Acharya said after the meeting.
"The MPs handed over a letter written by State Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari to Nirmala requesting her to issue necessary instructions to the Reserve Bank of India to allow release of the deposits in Yes Bank in the interest of lakhs of devotees of Lord Jagannath.
Temple fund amounting to Rs 592 crore was deposited in Yes Bank’s Puri branch between March 19 and 30 last year.
While Rs 545 crore was kept as fixed deposit, the remaining Rs 47 crore was kept in flexi account.
Fund in the flexi fund was withdrawn after some members raised questions during the temple managing committee meeting on December 20, 2019.
On Wednesday, a petition was filed by rights activist Pradipta Nayak in Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) seeking a probe into the matter. Terming the financial transaction as ‘unfair handling of Puri Jagannath Temple’s money,’ the petitioner questioned the circumstances under which the money was deposited illegally in a private bank.