Pradeep Vennelakanti Tirumala

TheTTD trust board has announced that it will introduce a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country by approving a Rs 2 lakh insurance cover for the families of devotees who succumb to natural causes during their stay in Tirumala.

The scheme will be implemented in association with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), providing financial assistance to the families of pilgrims who die of natural causes in Tirumala.

Under the scheme, the TTD will pay the insurance premium, ensuring a Rs 2 lakh benefit for the family of a devotee who dies of natural causes while in Tirumala. The temple body already extends accident insurance assistance to the kin of devotees killed in road accidents on the Alipiri-Tirumala route in specified cases.

The decision was taken at the TTD trust board meeting held at Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala on Wednesday under the chairmanship of BR Naidu. TTD Executive Officer M Ravichandra and other senior officials attended the meeting.

Explaining the board decisions after the meeting, the Chairman and EO said the measures were aimed at strengthening pilgrim welfare, improving employee benefits and advancing environmental initiatives.

The board also enhanced the insurance compensation for devotees who die in accidents from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. It approved medical facilities under the Employees Health Fund (EHF) for employees covered by the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and Modified Contributory Scheme (MCS), bringing them on par with those covered under the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Salary revisions for employees belonging to 48 categories were also approved.

In a move aimed at promoting sustainable waste management, the board approved a proposal to convert food waste generated at the Annaprasadam complex, canteens and hotels into biogas. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has offered to undertake the conversion using a water hydrolysis process. The TTD approved handing over the operation of the biogas plant to GPS Renewables at a cost of Rs 2.80 crore.

With the anticipated rush during peak periods, the TTD has also sent proposals to the government seeking approval for 400 additional outsourcing posts to accelerate laddu production. The board sanctioned Rs 1.60 crore for three years towards transportation charges for additional sanitation personnel deployed in Tirumala.

The board further approved gold plating works for the Padma Peetham of Goddess Padmavathi at Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy temple in Narayanavanam. It also sanctioned Rs 17.05 crore for gold plating the Dwajasthambam and Bali Peetham at the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple in Chennai. The licence period of the TTD building in Tirupati allotted to the Telugu and Sanskrit Academies was extended by three years, from November 2, 2026, to November 1, 2029.

Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary, JEOs Dr A Sarath and Prabhala Gopinath, CVSO KV Murali Krishna and TTD board members were present at the meeting.