TS Govt to facilitate Archakas, muezzins and imams

Hyderabad, Oct 27: The Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday announced that the government will soon take a decision on paying regular salaries to all archakas (temple priests), muezzins and imams in the State.

Intervening during question hour in the State Assembly, the Chief Minister said the State government had made humble beginnings in giving regular salaries through Treasury to Archakas which was not practiced anywhere in the country.

He said that based on several requests from legislators and temple management, the government has decided to constitute a committee to take a decision on including all temples funding under 'Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam' scheme, besides considering regular salaries for archakas.



"The government will also consider payment of regular salaries to muezzins and imams in mosques in the State," he said.

Chandrashekhar Rao, responding to MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi's request to include all archakas in the regular salaries bracket, said this was an example of secularism in the country.

"I appreciate Owaisi's demand for payment of regular salaries to Hindu priests, and this reflects the spirit of secularism," he said, to applause from both Treasury and Opposition benches.