Decisions related to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham taken in a meeting

VARANASI: Several decisions related to the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham were taken in a meeting of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust Council, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Council, and Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Executive Committee held on Thursday under the chairmanship of the divisional commissioner, S Rajalingam.The major decisions included the rationalisation of the honorarium for various categories of personnel, the establishment of a state-of-the-art digital museum, the allocation of vacant spaces in the emporium to boost commercial activities, the revision of rental rates for operating the assets, and an increase in the dearness allowance for full-time employees of the temple, similar to the previous year.It was the 108th meeting of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust Council, the 14th meeting of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Council, and the 64th meeting of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Executive Committee. The meeting was attended by Trustee Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Vishwabhushan, Prof. Bihari Lal Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, representatives from the Principal Secretary of Justice, Special Secretary and Additional Legal Advisor from the Finance Department of Uttar Pradesh, Chief Treasury Officer of Varanasi, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police for Security, Varanasi Commissionerate, and representatives of Shri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswami Ji from Shri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasansthanam Dakshinamnaya, Shri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, Karnataka, among other dignitaries.

According to the trust authorities, detailed discussions were held on the approved agenda items, which were unanimously sanctioned. Key topics included a proposal for establishing a Vedic Education and Training Institute on a plot in Mirzapur, facilitating access for devotees by purchasing a building for easy access to Shri Kashi Vishalakshi Mata Temple, and a decision to provide alternative offerings like laddoo prasad and rudraksha malas with the smooth darshan arrangement.

Approval was given to connect all Jyotirlingas with the Sangam Teerth Water Exchange Scheme, modernise and upgrade the control room and cameras for the security of the Dham, periodically renew identity cards for daily visitors, modernise the cowshed in the Sankat Haran Hanuman Temple complex in Benipur, Sarnath, and provide funds through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for the purchase of clothes, books, blankets, sweaters, and uniforms to all secondary Sanskrit schools in the city.

Approval was also given for providing daily prasad meals and offerings to Dandi Sanyasis.Other significant decisions made in the meetings of the Special Area Development Council and the Executive Committee included the approval of the balance sheet and a proposal to offer the expertise and SOP developed by the council as consultancy services, paving new ways for income growth for the council. It was also decided that the technical solutions, SOPs, and management facilities developed by the council would be made available to interested institutions for a fixed fee, ensuring transparent income growth for the council and enabling further modernisation and strengthening of the Dham's activities.