The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to introduce free life insurance cover for devotees visiting Tirumala, with families of pilgrims who die of natural causes during the pilgrimage set to receive ₹2 lakh, according to decisions announced after the trust board’s meeting on Wednesday.
The TTD will bear the premium for the proposed Tirumala life insurance scheme. TTD chairman Bollineni Rajagopal Naidu and executive officer Muddada Ravichandra announced the decision after the meeting at Tirumala, describing it as an extension of the existing accident insurance assistance provided to devotees.
The new cover is intended to address deaths from natural causes occurring during a devotee’s pilgrimage in Tirumala. The TTD chairman said the initiative would be the first of its kind among temple trusts in the country, according to the announcement.
The trust board also approved an increase in assistance for devotees who die accidentally in specified circumstances. The existing cover for deaths in road accidents between Alipiri and Tirumala will rise from ₹3 lakh to ₹10 lakh. The assistance currently applies to eligible cases involving the route connecting the foothill area with Tirumala.
The board approved the insurance decisions along with several measures concerning visitor services, sanitation and temple operations. It decided to extend Employee Health Facility benefits to retired CPS and NPS pensioners and their families on par with those available to OPS pensioners.
The TTD also approved a proposal to establish a biogas plant to process food waste generated at the Annaprasadam complex, canteens and hotels in Tirumala. Indian Oil Corporation Limited has offered to produce biogas through water hydrolysis after segregating the waste, with the resulting fuel to be supplied to the Annaprasadam kitchen complex. Operation of the plant will be entrusted to GPS Renewables at a cost of ₹2.80 crore.
To increase the speed of Srivari laddu production at the Tirumala potu, the board resolved to send proposals to the state government seeking approval for 400 additional outsourcing workers. It also approved salary increases for 48 employees in various TTD departments and transport charges for additional sanitation staff for three years at a cost of ₹1.60 crore.
Other decisions included approval for gold-plating work on the pedestal of Goddess Padmavati at the Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Narayanavanam, as well as the flagstaff and Bali Peetham at the Padmavati Ammavari Temple in Chennai. The licence period for the TTD building allotted to the Telugu and Sanskrit Academy in Tirupati was also extended by three years.
