TTD raises Tirumala devotees’ accidental death insurance to Rs.10 lakh

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board has decided to substantially enhance the insurance cover for devotees visiting Tirumala, raising the compensation for accidental deaths from Rs.3 lakh to Rs.10 lakh. The decision was taken at a TTD Board meeting held at Annamayya Bhavan in Tirumala. TTD Chairman B.R. Naidu said the Board had also approved a group insurance scheme under which families would receive Rs.2 lakh in case of natural death of a devotee.

TTD said the insurance facility was being introduced through the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), describing it as the first such initiative in the country. The Board approved payment of Rs.2.12 crore from TTD funds to LIC towards implementation of the insurance scheme. Several other welfare measures were also approved. The Board sanctioned a Rs.2-crore management contribution towards extending Employee Health Fund (EHF) facilities to CPS and NPS pensioners and their families.

It also decided to enhance the salaries of 48 employees working in various TTD departments and proposed filling 400 additional outsourcing posts to increase the production capacity of Tirumala laddu prasadam. In an environmental initiative, TTD approved a proposal to produce biogas from food waste generated at the Annaprasadam complex, canteens and hotels in Tirumala. The plant’s operation was awarded to GPS Renewables at a cost of Rs.2.80 crore.

The Board also sanctioned Rs.1.60 crore for three years towards transportation charges for sanitation workers. Other decisions included gold plating of the deity’s pedestal at Narayanavanam temple and gold plating of the flagstaff and sacrificial altar at the Sri Padmavati temple in Chennai at a cost of Rs.17.05 crore.