Puri : The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Friday announced to provide Rs 5,000 financial assistance to servitors of Puri Srimandir in Odisha as to overcome their hardships caused by closure of the shrine to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.
The amount will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of the servitors, informed a SJTA official.
“We will provide financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to each servitor’s family. As many as 2130 families will be benefited under the scheme. The money will be transferred to their bank accounts,” SJTA’s administrator (ritual) Jitendra Sahoo said adding that a total Rs 10,650,000 will be spent on this head.
The Srimandir has been closed for devotees from March 20 even before the lockdown was imposed as a precautionary measure against the spread of novel coronavirus.
However, the servitors have been allowed to perform the rituals inside the 12th century shrine.
Prasanta Patnaik