Two Indian Americans donate Rs 13.5 cr to Tirupati temple
Tirupati, July 14 : Two Indian Americans donated Rs 13.5 crore to the Lord Venkateswara temple here on Saturday.
Ika Ravi and Guthikonda Srinivas, who hail from Andhra Pradesh, donated the money to the temple 'Hundi' and various trusts run by temple authorities.
Ravi, Founder CEO of Rx Advance, a pharmaceutical company based in Boston, donated Rs 10 crore to 'Hundi', while Srinivas, CEO of JCG Technologies, a software development and consulting firm based in Florida, donated Rs 3.50 crore to the trusts.
They met the officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the richest Hindu temple in the world, handed over the cheques in the presence of Andhra Pradesh's Industry Minister Amarnath Reddy. The Minister lauded the gesture of the NRIs.
Thousands of devotees, who visit the hill shrine every day, make their offerings in 'Hundi' while some devotees make their donations online. TTD runs several trusts engaged in social, religious, literary and educational activities.
According to TTD officials, the temple's earnings during 2018-19 are expected to be Rs 2,894 crore, of which the offerings in temple 'Hundi' are likely to be Rs 1,156 crore.
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Wayanad aid memorandum: Kerala CM slams media for "destructive journalism"
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed a section of the media for allegedly spreading "fake news" about the memorandum prepared by the state government for central aid in the context of the Wayanad landslide disaster, terming it "destructive journalism."
"What is happening in Kerala is destructive journalism. A section of the media has turned into factories for creating controversies," Vijayan said at a press conference.
The Chief Minister said that Kerala has been discredited due to the fake news.
He alleged that after the media spread false information, a fake narrative emerged, claiming that Kerala was attempting to unfairly grab aid.
"The opposition also seized upon these reports. The aim behind these stories was to discredit the state government by any means," Vijayan added.
The CM clarified that it is not the ministers who prepare the memorandum in the wake of a disaster, but rather professionals who have proven expertise in the field.
He said that the media had misinterpreted the data prepared by these experts.
The figures in the memorandum are not exaggerated, but are projected estimates, he added.
