Four Hyderabad entrepreneurs donate Rs 3.7 crore to TTD's free food scheme for devotees

Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh): Four Hyderabad-based devotees and entrepreneurs donated Rs 3.7 crore to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams' (TTD) Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam Trust, which offers free food to pilgrims.

P Venkateswarlu, Rajamouli, Prasada Rao and M Lakshmi Kumari handed over a cheque for Rs 3.7 crore to additional executive officer Ch Venkaiah Chowdary in Tirumala.

"Potti Venkateswarlu, Rajamouli, Prasada Rao and Malathi Lakshmi Kumari have donated Rs 3.7 crore to SV Annaprasadam Trust on August 28," said a TTD release on Thursday.

Former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao (NTR) started the Venkateswara Nithya Annadanam Endowment Scheme in 1985 to serve free food to 2,000 pilgrims a day.

Later, it was transformed into an independent trust in the name of Sri Venkateswara Nithya Annadanam Trust in 1994 and further into Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam Trust in 2014.

Run by donations from across the world, the trust deposits funds in nationalised banks and meets its expenses to serve food to devotees through the interest earned on them.

It serves beverages and three meals a day to thousands of devotees.

The mega kitchens of TTD, the official custodian of Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, cooks nearly 14 tons of rice and procures 10,000 litres of milk daily. Up to 7.5 tons of vegetables, which come as donations, are used in Annaprasadam canteens daily.

On auspicious days such as New Year's Day, Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rathasapthami and Garuda Seva, over 2 lakh pilgrims are fed with beverages and food.