Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has finalised to transfer Rs 545 crore funds of Puri Lord Jagannath currently parked in a private bank to a nationalised bank on March 19 and 30, State Law Minister Pratap Jena said in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Jena said Lord Jagannath has a property of Rs 626.44 crore including Rs 255,86, 78,876 Sri Jagannath Temple Corpus Fund, Rs 98,96,36,866 Sri Jagannath Temple Foundation Fund and Rs 271, 61, 62, 702 Sri Jagannath Temple Fund.
“Of the total fund, Rs 545 crore was kept as fixed deposits and Rs 47 crore as flexi-fixed deposits in Yes Bank till September 2019, Jena said in a written reply to a question raised by Jashipur MLA Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia.
In compliance with the guideline that all funds of Srimandir will be kept as fixed deposit in bank that provide maximum interest, Rs 545 crore was kept as fixed deposits and Rs 47 crore as flexi-fixed deposits in Yes Bank till September 2019 through a tender process, the minister said the House during the debate.
He said according to rule 28 C (3) of Sri Jagannath Temple Act 1954, there are guidelines to keep all amount of the foundation fund in terms of long term fixed deposits banks recognised by the State government. As Yes Bank was among the list of the registered banks, it had participated in the tender process and quoted highest interest rates on the deposit following which the funds were parked in the bank.
“So far Rs 47 crore flexi deposits have been withdrawn from Yes Bank. As the tenure of the remaining Rs 545 crore deposits end on March 19 and March 30, the cash will be withdrawn from the bank on the same day,” Jena informed the assembly.
“The cash will be re-deposited in a nationalised bank through tender process. A decision in this effect was taken in the temple managing committee meeting on February 2,” minister Jena added.
Notably, the Opposition and the ruling party in the State have been at loggerheads over parking of funds of Lord Jagannath in a private bank.