Govt plans Rs 39 crore aid for mutts under financial stress

The B S Yediyurappa administration is planning to give Rs 1 crore each to 39 different mutts that are under financial stress due to Covid-19 lockdown. “A proposal has been sent to the Finance Department to release Rs 1 crore each to 39 mutts. We expected the funds to be released soon,” Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said.

The aid to mutts comes after the government reallocated Rs 60 crore to various temples, which the Congress-JD(S) coalition had originally earmarked for 39 select mutts. These are the same mutts that will now get Rs 1 crore each, sources said.

In his 2019-20 budget, the then CM H D Kumaraswamy had announced financial aid to the Siddaganga Mutt, Sonnenahalli Spatikapuri Maha Samsthana, Sri Renukananda Swami Narayanaguru Mahasamsthana Mutt, Murugha Mutt, among others.

In the 2020-21 budget, Yediyurappa has earmarked Rs 30 crore to various mutts, but without specifying which one would get how much. From this allocation, the government has already released Rs 1 crore to Sri Raghavendra Mutt in Udugani village of Shikaripura taluk, Shivamogga, which Yediyurappa represents.

Another Rs 26 crore has been provided for the upkeep of temples and other religious institutions. “It is planned to take Rs 10 crore from this to provide Rs 39 crore to mutts,” a source said.