No diversion of temple funds, let BJP leaders read law first: Ramalinga Reddy, Karnataka Minister for Transport & Muzrai
Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy denied the allegations while urging the BJP leaders to read the law. In a brief chat with ET’s KR Balasubramanyam, he responded to specific allegations. Edited excerpts:
Your government’s amendment to the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Act has sparked a lot of debate. What is this Bill about?
The law, Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997, in fact, has been around since May 2003. Section 17 of this law provides for setting up of a Common Pool of Funds. In 2011, the BJP government amended the law, enabling the government to collect funds from high income group (A category) temples to support temples with poor incomes (C category) using the common pool fund.
As per this change, temples with annual incomes of between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh had to part with 5% of their net income, and 10% if the annual income exceeded Rs 10 lakh. The Rajya Dharmika Parishat (quasi-judicial body formed under the law) could use funds from the common pool only for purposes specified in the law including a poor Hindu religious institution.
How is this going to change now?
We have proposed to exempt temples with annual incomes of Rs 10 lakh and below. They need not contribute to the common pool fund. The amendments propose that temples with annual incomes of up to Rs 1 crore will part with 5% and those getting incomes of above Rs 1 crore will give 10% of their annual income.
What was the need to amend the law now?
Right now, the common pool fund
