Telangana CM seeks plan for issues of temple staff, priests

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today set up a committee for drafting a comprehensive plan with regard to payment of salaries and other allowances to the 5,800 'Archakas' (priests) and other employees of 650 temples which come under Endowments Department.
"Chief Minister has constituted a committee and said all the issues pertaining to Archakas will be solved by Sankranthi festival," a statement from the Chief Minister's office said.
The committee will have Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy as chairman, adviser to the Government on cultural affairs K V Ramanachary, Chief Secretary S P Singh and Endowments Commissioner Shivshankar, among others.

It will study issues such as opening one head of account to pay salaries to the Archakas and others through their bank accounts, one-work-one-salary system in line with Supreme Court directives, regularisation of employees, issues related to roster system, etc.
The CM also asked the officials to examine whether Archakas and other employees should be regularised like the outsourcing employees under the power department, the statement said.