TheShree Jagannath Temple Administration(SJTA) inPurihas decided to float an ambitious donation plan in May to shore up the shrines revenue. The SJTA has set a target to raise the temples corpus fund to Rs 1,000 crore by 2023 Rath Yatra (June or July) from the existing Rs 650 crore.
The development assumes significance as the state assembly recently passed a unanimous resolution to allow devotees to contribute in cash or kind for the ambitious Jagannath heritage corridor project around the temple. Union ministerDharmendra Pradhanearlier urged the Puri king Dibyasingha Deb to lead a donation-seeking drive for Jagannath temple, akin to Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan, a fund raising initiative for Ram Temple inAyodhya.
In the budget preparatory meeting, the temple administration has planned to make an allocation of Rs 50 lakh for servitors and their families for treatment of critical illnesses. The administration has also decided to launch Sevak welfare fund for servitors from the next financial year.