Uttar Pradesh: Priests, staff of under-construction Ram temple in Ayodhya given pay hike by 35% to 40%

The construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya signifies a major milestone in Indian history and also brings positive developments for the priests serving Ram Lalla. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has announced an increase in the salaries of the head priest, assistant priests and other staff involved in the temple’s service.

Shri Ram Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust secretary Champat Rai said the trust has increased the salaries of priests and other employees of the Ram temple. Rai said that the trust has increased the salaries of chief priests and other priests, as well as other staff members such as the storekeeper, manager, and gardener by 35 to 40 per cent.
Following the hike, the head priest's salary increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 32,900 per month and assistant priests who were getting Rs 20,000 a month will not get Rs 31,000. Apart from this, the salaries of other priests and staff have also been increased. Not only that, the trust has also increased the salaries of other staff members serving Ramlala.
The Ram Mandir Trust is planning to provide priests and staff serving Ram Lalla with facilities similar to those provided by the government, including medical services, travel allowances, and residential allowances. Rai said the trust will also provide them with housing and medical allowances and weekly holidays. The staffers will also get benefits of provident fund and gratuity
Chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das expressed his gratitude for the salary increase and said that discussions are ongoing within the trust to soon provide special facilities to priests and staff.
The consecration (pran pratishtha) ceremony is likely to be held on January 22, 2024, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and nearly 10,000 dignitaries from across the country. The temple will be completed in three phases by January 2025.
The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will formally invite Prime Minister Modi for the consecration ceremony during which the idol of Ram Lalla will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The temple trust has decided to start the process of the consecration of Ram Lalla after Makar Sankranti on January 14 and observe a 10-day ritual of Ram Lalla's 'pran pratishtha' (consecration).
The Supreme Court in a 2019 verdict had paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a “prominent” place in the holy town of Uttar Pradesh. The court had ruled that the 2.77 acres of the disputed land where the demolished 16th century-era Babri Masjid once stood will remain with a Central government receiver and be handed over to the trust within three months of the ruling for the construction of the temple.
(With agencies input)
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