Sabarimala pilgrims will receive life insurance coverage of Rs 2 lakh during the upcoming pilgrimage season, while the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has assured devotees that there will be no shortage of Aravana prasadam. TDB president K Jayakumar announced the measures after a board meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, with the 41-day Mandala season scheduled to begin on November 17.
Under the new scheme, introduced in association with the Life Insurance Corporation of India, the families of pilgrims who die at Sabarimala during the pilgrimage season will receive compensation of Rs 2 lakh. Jayakumar said the entire premium would be paid by the Devaswom Board from its Welfare Fund. The board is expected to spend around Rs 1 crore on the scheme during the season.
The nominee’s name and relationship will be collected when pilgrims make their virtual queue bookings. The TDB said the arrangement would be available for the pilgrimage season and described it as the first life insurance coverage introduced for Sabarimala pilgrims.
The board also said Aravana production was continuing around the clock, with two lakh tins being produced daily. Aravana, a sweet offering made primarily from rice and jaggery, is distributed to pilgrims at the temple. Jayakumar said a newly constructed production unit was expected to become operational on November 3 or 4, which would increase the board’s production capacity.
The TDB is targeting a buffer stock of 50-60 lakh tins before the Mandala season begins. The assurance follows the board’s preparations for a period when Sabarimala sees a sharp increase in pilgrim movement and demand for prasadam, food, transport and basic services across the wider pilgrimage route.
Reception desks will be established at Nilakkal and Pampa to assist pilgrims. The board said infrastructure development and other arrangements for the annual pilgrimage were progressing, while maintenance and repair work at Sabarimala was expected to be completed before November 10.
The TDB also discussed its proposed digitisation initiative. Jayakumar said the programme was being implemented directly by the board and that the role of the state-run Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, or KINFRA, would be examined. “We are taking precautions to ensure that the project does not go off track,” he said.
The next operational milestones are the commissioning of the new production unit in early November, completion of maintenance work by November 10 and the start of the Mandala pilgrimage season on November 17.
