Shree Jagannath Temple funds will be deposited in nationalised

The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee has decided to deposit the temples funds in nationalized banks instead of private banks or financial institutions.

The decision in this regard was taken at the managing committee meeting presided over by 'Gajapati Maharaja' of Puri Dibyasingha Deb.

"It has been decided to deposit the temple funds in nationalised banks on a priority basis. The bank which will offer more interest rate will be preferred," Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Krishan Kumar said on Wednesday.

He said the funds now deposited in a private bank will be withdrawn.

Official sources said the temple has a fund of about Rs 600 crore.

The SJTA has received applications from some nationalised banks to manage the temples fund.

"While the foundation fund of the temple will be kept in the State Bank of India (SBI), the corpus and the other temple fund will be kept in three nationalised banks. We will invite applications from nationalised banks and will keep 50 per cent of the temple fund money in the bank, which will offer more interest rate," Kumar said.

Of the remaining 50 per cent fund, 25 per cent fund will be kept in each of the two other nationalised banks in the same principle, he said.

This apart, Kumar said a task force will be formed under the chairmanship of the Revenue and Disaster Management department secretary to locate Lord Jagannaths land in Odisha and outside the state.

The managing committee also resolved that the 'Gajapati Maharaj' will write to ISKCON and other bodies which are holding Lord Jagannaths unscheduled Rath Jatra in the country.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) will have its meeting at Mayapur in April this year and it will be attended by heads of all its branches in the country and abroad.

"A letter signed by the Gajapati Maharaj will be sent to the ISKCON meeting to express Shree Jagannath Temple, Puris displeasure over holding unscheduled Rath Jatras. It will also urge the ISKCON to stop such practice as it hurts public sentiments," Ramachandra Dasmohapatra, a member of the managing committee said.

He said the state government will also be urged to formulate a legislation to bar organisations from holding unscheduled Rath Jatras of Lord Jagannath.