CHENNAI: The first meeting of the advisory committee of the HR and CE Department headed by Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday deliberated many topics, including amending the HR and CE Act to adapt to the changing times. An official release here said as of now, the department is being administered as per the HR and CE Act, 1959.
Addressing the committee members, the Chief Minister said that since 2015, the advisory committee for the HR and CE Department had not been formed. However, after the present government assumed office, this committee was constituted.
The Chief Minister also allocated specific responsibilities to each of the members. For example, Kundrakudi Ponnambala Adigalar will publish Sthalapuranas, rare books, oversee digitisation and sell the books to devotees. Similarly, orator and Tamil scholar Suki Sivam will organise religious discourses, spiritual classes, etc.
Hailing the views expressed by the members on varied subjects, the Chief Minister promised that he would consider all their ideas. Stalin also said the members could meet him in person to convey their views. He also expressed confidence that the people would get all facilities in temples.
Improving the financial position of the temples, documenting the Sthalapurans of HR and CE temples, digitising and publishing them and displaying them to the devotees, republishing the rare books and selling them to the devotees, protecting the rare books/palm leaf manuscripts/copperplates with vital information, increasing the number of students at Oodhuvar training schools by upgrading the syllabus and ensure employment opportunities for these students were among the topics discussed during the meeting.
The other topics deliberated were: Publishing in Tamil and English the Agamas by which historical temples are built, preparing a draft plan for organising religious discussions and spiritual classes to take the dharmic values to the younger generation, fully computerising the services available to the devotees at the temples and selecting three members for the State-level committee from the advisory committee for appointing non-hereditary trustees for temples which net annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh.