TTD to disburse Rs 13 crore to fund mass feeding of poor in Andhra Pradesh

Sandeep Raghavan | TNN | Apr 15, 2020, 18:44 IST

TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy

TIRUPATI: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams - the richest Hindu temple body in the country, will disburse Rs. 13 crore to fund mass feeding of the poor and the needy across the 13 districts in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
TTD will provide Rs. 1 crore to every district in AP, to ensure the poor continue to have access food, despite the nationwide lock-down is extended till May 3.
After the Tirumala temple as well as 50 odd temples under its administrative purview across the country were closed down for pilgrim worship on March 20, following a nationwide lock-down imposed to combat the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country, TTD embarked on a noble mission to feed the poor and the needy in the temple city of Tirupati, as a first step.
Cooking different kinds of delicious meals including Kadhambham, Pulihora, Pongal, Sambar rice and different kinds of variety rices, TTD has been distributing nearly 1 lakh food packets to the poor across Tirupati, Chandragiri and Srikalahasti assembly constituencies in Chittoor district since March 28.
Speaking to TOI, TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy said the temple body was moved by the plight of the poor and pilgrims who were deprived off food amidst a complete shut-down.
''TTD is spending nearly Rs. 35 lakh per day to provide free food to nearly one lakh people in Tirupati alone. So far, we would have spent nearly Rs. 10 crore towards free food distribution in Chittoor district. We will soon initiate steps to distribute free food through Lord Venkateswara temple at Jubilee hills in Hyderabad in the state of Telangana also'', asserted the TTD chairman.
And within the state of Andhra Pradesh, where lock-down is being observed amidst a nationwide call given by the prime minister of India, TTD has decided to disburse Rs. 1 crore to each district, and the funds will be made available to the collectors of all the 13 districts in the state, to initiate measures to provide free food to the poor, the destitute, migrant labours and others.
In addition to free food distribution, TTD has also pitched in with the necessary support to effectively combat the novel coronavirus in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
The temple body has already allocated Rs. 19 crore to combat Covid-19. These funds will be utilized for purchasing ventilators and other necessary medical equipment necessary to treat the Covid-19 patients at TTD's Sri Venkateswara institute of medical sciences and Sri Padmavathi medical college for women which has been declared as a state government's Covid-19 hospital. .
TTD has also handed over Sri Padmavathi nilayam pilgrim amenities complex at Tiruchanoor to the Chittoor district administration and the TTD facility has now been functioning as a state government's quarantine facility to accommodate Covid-19 suspect patients for observation.
In addition to this, TTD employees have also donated Rs. 83.86 lakh to Chief minister's relief fund to strengthen the state government's efforts to effectively combat the novel coronavirus outbreak in the state.