Karnataka Guv Thaawarchand Gehlot reserves temple bill for Presidential assent
Bengaluru, May 24 (PTI): Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has reserved the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, one which aims to benefit priests serving in low income temples, for the assent of the President.
The bill was passed by the Karnataka Assemby on March 6, 2024 and submitted to the Governor afresh on May 16, 2025.
It aims to enhance the common pool of funds from the high income generating temples and improve the lives of priests serving in low income temples, a source in the Religious Endowment Department said.
Karnataka Religious Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy had earlier said that there are 3,000 C-Grade temples in the state which have less than Rs five lakh income from where 'Dharmika Parishad' gets no money.
Dharmika Parishad is a committee to improve the temple management for the benefit of pilgrims.
There are B-grade temples with income between Rs five lakh and Rs 25 lakh from where five per cent of the gross income has been going to the Dharmika Parishad since 2003, he explained.
The Dharmika Parishad has been getting 10 per cent of revenue from those temples whose gross income was above Rs 25 lakh since 2003, the Minister said.
"Now what we have done is we have made it free from paying to Dharmika Parishad if the income is up to Rs 10 lakh. We have made provisions to collect five per cent from temples whose gross income is between Rs 10 lakh and less than one crore. Ten per cent of the income will be collected from temples whose income is above Rs one crore. All this amount will reach the Dharmika Parishad," Reddy had said.
The Minister had said there were 40,000 to 50,000 priests in the state whom the state government wants to help.
"If the money reaches Dharmika Parishad then we can provide them insurance cover. We want their families to get at least Rs five lakh if something happens to them. To pay the premium we need Rs seven crore to Rs eight crore," he explained.
The Minister said the government wants to provide scholarships to children of temple priests, which would require Rs five crore to Rs six crore annually.
This entire amount will benefit the temple priests only, many of whom are in poor condition, he explained.
The bill proposes grant in aid to the religious institutions of notified category-C only, which is less income or in needy circumstances.
It proposes that four general members of the management committee should be skilled in Vishwakarma Hindu temple architecture and sculpture.
"I am of the opinion that instead of giving assent to the proposed bill, I would deem fit to reserve this bill for the kind consideration of the Honourable President to avoid more constitutional complications, since it involves constitutional restrictions as well as scrutiny," Gehlot said in his order on Friday.
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Had a very good conversation with friend Modi: Trump
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good conversation" with his "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.
"I had a very good talk with him, and he's a friend of mine from India, and he's doing great. We had a very good conversation," Trump told reporters here as he headed to Las Vegas to address a roundtable on tax cuts.
Trump had called Modi on Tuesday to discuss the bilateral relationship and share perspectives on the situation in West Asia, where the US and Israel have launched a war on Iran.
The US and Iran declared a two-week ceasefire on April 7. They engaged in peace talks with Washington, insisting that Tehran give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.
The war with Iran has sent gas prices soaring as Tehran blocked the sea lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for a fifth of global oil supplies.
During the Trump-Modi phone call on Tuesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.
According to the US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor, the 40-minute conversation ended with Trump telling Modi, "we all love you".
Tuesday's phone call was the second between the two leaders since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.
