RBI solves big problem of 'small change' at Shirdi temple
Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), June 19: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday intervened to resolve the big problem of small change plaguing the famed Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) in Shirdi, a top official said here.
The apex bank has ordered 16 nationalised banks where SSST has accounts to accept small change offered in the temple coffers by millions of devotees annually.
"The RBI General Manager (Issue) K. Kamalakannan had convened the meeting to hammer out a solution to this crisis affecting us since the past over one year," SSST Chief Accounts Officer B.B. Ghorpade told IANS.
He said that on an average, the coffers in the Saibaba Samadhi Temple and the surrounding complex cough out more than 1 crore coins worth around Rs 4 crore annually.
In denominations of Rs 1, 2, 5 and 10, the coins weigh several tonnes, which have to be counted, accounted and then deposited with the various banks where the SSST holds accounts.
Since the past year or so, most banks have been refusing to collect the huge quantity of coins on grounds of lack of storage space, difficulty in counting, transporting and putting them back into public circulation.
"Since the past three months, we have been depositing them with banks in turns whenever they had space to accommodate them. But even then the problems continued," Ghorpade rued.
In a via-media solution, the SSST has now agreed to allot 8-10 high-security strongrooms in one of the temple premises to the banks for storing the coins.
"We will give them the rooms, approximately 400 sq feet each, with CCTVs, security guards, special grills etc., where the banks can store our coins till they are able to dispose them off," Ghorpade revealed.
Previously, small shopkeepers, toll plazas, public bus services and other entities used to exchange notes with coins in bulk from the nationalised banks.
However, with toll plazas either scrapped or going digital, besides people taking to cashless transactions or online purchases, the demand for coins has drastically reduced, flooding the markets with coins of all denominations, Ghorpade explained.
Ranked among the top 10 richest temple trusts in the country, the SSST in Shirdi attracts over 10 million devotees from all over the world who donate over Rs 500 crore every year.
The temple coffers alone collect around Rs 4 crore in coins and another Rs 150 crore in currency notes, besides valuable items of gold and silver etc. every year, but the collection chests are opened and offloaded every Tuesday and Friday.
Of the total income of more than Rs 500 crore, the SSST ploughs back most of it to various social-educational-charitable activities, augmenting the facilities for the pilgrims to the temple and developing infrastructure in and around the small town of Shirdi, Ghorpade said.
Revered by people of all faiths, the temple town of Shirdi is connected by air, rail and road. It is located in Ahmednagar district, around 235 km north-east of Mumbai.
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Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
