In a significant act of philanthropy, PMS Prasad, the Executive Director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), contributed a generous donation of Rs 3 crore to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Saturday. The contribution was made in the form of a demand draft during a meeting with TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal at the TTD administrative building in Tirupati.
Major Donation and Technological Vision for Temples
EO Anil Kumar Singhal expressed gratitude for Prasad's substantial donation. During their interaction, Singhal briefed the donor on several novel initiatives recently launched by the temple trust. This meeting set the stage for a broader review of TTD's future plans, focusing heavily on leveraging modern technology for devotional outreach.
In a subsequent review meeting with senior officials, Singhal issued instructions to explore Virtual Reality (VR) support to help devotees understand the significance of TTD's local and affiliated temples. He emphasized that to effectively convey the architectural beauty and historical importance of these sites, the use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology should also be considered.
Digital Initiatives and Enhanced Devotee Services
The EO proposed a multi-pronged digital strategy for the temple trust. Key suggestions included:
- Examining the possibility of developing a dedicated mobile application to deliver AR/VR experiences.
- Enabling devotees to scan temple sculptures and images with their phones to instantly access related mythological and historical information through advanced technology.
- Studying the feasibility of launching an additional channel under the existing SVBC (Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel) network. This new channel would be dedicated to showcasing the uniqueness of TTD's local and affiliated temples, similar to the live telecast of rituals from the main Tirumala temple.
To ensure the physical and administrative well-being of these temples, Singhal directed the appointment of special officers. Their mandate is to frequently visit the temples, oversee better facilities for devotees, and prepare reports on required developmental works.
Focus on Annadanam and Financial Accountability
Following the directions of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the TTD is taking concrete steps to expand the distribution of Annadanam (free meals) across its temples. As part of this initiative, EO Singhal issued specific instructions for financial management.
He directed that each temple should maintain two separate accounts: a general account and a dedicated account for Annadanam. The appointed special officers are tasked with reviewing both accounts regularly and taking necessary actions to ensure the smooth operation of the free meal service. The EO also clarified that existing accounts meant for Annaprasadam should continue without disruption.
This series of decisions marks a pivotal moment for TTD, blending traditional seva with cutting-edge technology and structured governance to enhance the spiritual experience for millions of devotees.
