TTD serving pilgrims for three decades

Chaitra Krushna paksha 4, Kaliyug Varsh 5117

Tirumala: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) reached another important milestone as its three important wings in pilgrim service Annaprasadam, Kalyanakatta and Blood Bank- have completed thirty successful years in service of pilgrims on Sunday. 

What started as a small gesture towards devotees in the 1980s, the Nitya Annadanam Scheme has grown into a massive wing over the years with not less than 50,000 devotees on normal days and more than one lakh on festive occasions, are fed at the TTDs massive ‘Anna Prasadam’ complex at Tirumala on any given day, without compromising on quality and taste of the food. 

The TTD has launched Sri Venkateshwara Nitya Annadanam Endowment Scheme in Tirumala on April 6, 1985 at the behest of former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party founder NT Rama Rao. The noble idea behind the initiative was to ensure not a single devotee who comes for Lord’s darshan is left hungry during his stay in the Lord’s abode.  

Later, the Nitya Annadanam Scheme was transformed into an independent trust‘Sri Venkateshwara Nitya Annadanam Trust’ in 1994. The trust gradually won the support of the multitude of visiting devotees in the form of donations extended towards the Trust and as on today, a whopping number of 3,63,064 donors have extended contributions to the noble cause. 

Speaking to the mediapersons on the milestones achieved in Tirumala on Sunday, TTD EO D Sambasiva Rao said the Nitya Annadanam Trust at present has a whopping sum of Rs 585 crores as fixed deposits – which are the donations received from the donors coupled with the TTDs matching grant. ‘The TTD spends around Rs 70 crore annually to ensure not a single devotee on a pilgrimage returns empty stomach,’ he added. Out of this Rs 70 crore, Rs 45 crore is the interest on FDs and the remaining Rs 25 crore is provided by the TTD as Matching Grant. 

 As the wing was growing enormously, the TTD had constructed a massive multi-storied building at Tirumala in 2011, for the comfortable dining of the visiting devotees. With 1,243 dedicated staff and 450 Srivari Sevakulu are working round the clock in the wing. “It is not an easy task to run these departments without any interruption for three decades. And I compliment all the officers, staff members who have rendered impeccable services in these departments for all these years”, the EO added.

Speaking on Kalyanakatta, the EO said the free tonsuring area has witnessed some problems due to dearth of barbers in the KKCs which is also solved from April 1 onwards. “Today waiting hours of pilgrims in KKCs is minimised and there are no serpentine queue lines in spite of heavy weekend rush”, he maintained.

Source : The Hans India