CHENNAI: Over 130 kg of gold jewels from eight temples coming under the purview of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department were handed over to a nationalised bank to monetise and generate revenue.
The exercise was part of the decades-old scheme, which was launched in 1979. The scheme was shelved during the 10 years of the AIADMK regime and it was revived after the DMK government returned to power in 2021.
“So far, the department has monetised 344 kg of gold jewels and invested in SBI bank under the gold bond scheme and fetching an annual interest of Rs 4.31 crore. It has been utilised for the upkeep of the temples and improving the facilities for the devotees,” HR&CE Minister Sekarbabu said after handing over 130 kg of gold jewels to the SBI officials.
These jewels were segregated from the offerings of the devotees to Arulmighu Subramaniswamy temple Tiruthani, Arulmighu Angalamman temple in Melmalayanur, Arulmighu Muthumariamman temple in Thayamangalam, Arulmighu Adhijagannatha Perumal temple in Ramanathapuram and four other temples in Tiruchengodu, and Salem.
Under the scheme, the gold jewels offered by the devotees would be segregated. The small and stone-fitted jewels that cannot be used to adorn the deities in the respective temples would be segregated by an expert committee headed by retired Madras High Court Judges.
The segregated jewels would be melted into 24-carat gold bars in the Union Government’s facility in Mumbai and deposited in the SBI bank under the gold bond scheme.