In a first, TTD plans insurance cover for all devotees visiting Tirumala

Time of India

3 days ago

Tirupati:
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
(TTD), which administers the world's richest Hindu temple, has proposed to launch a comprehensive insurance cover free of cost for all devotees visiting Tirumala.
The initiative, perhaps the first of its kind by any temple trust in the country, is intended to cover all forms of risks associated with the pilgrimage to Tirumala.
About 2.5 crore devotees from across the globe visit the temple annually, with approximately 70,000 people visiting Tirumala daily for darshan of Lord Venkateswara.
On weekends and festivals, the pilgrim rush swells beyond one lakh.
Presently, devotees visiting Tirumala are covered under an accident insurance, under which TTD provides financial assistance to the kin of devotees involved in fatal road mishaps under two circumstances — Rs 3 lakh to an individual in case of accidental death under a special contingency case, while the second involves a group accident cover policy under which each individual involved in the accident will be extended a sum of Rs 3 lakh.
Also, the amount would be paid only if the accident occurs between Alipiri and Tirumala.
TTD is now working on the modalities for the proposed insurance policy that will cover all forms of risks, including death by natural causes. While TTD will bear the premium cost, other factors like compensation amount and eligibility criteria are being worked out. Officials said the proposal is at a preliminary stage and once the policy is finalised, all devotees visiting Tirumala will be covered under the new insurance scheme.
Pilgrims availing of free darshan under three different formats, including the slotted sarvadarshan, divya darshan (trekking devotees), and sarvadarshan without tokens constitute between 60 and 70% of the overall pilgrim footfall to Tirumala everyday. The trust is in the process of arriving at a tailormade insurance plan for all these categories of devotees too.
The proposal gains significance as there have been many instances of visiting devotees succumbing to fatal road mishaps, natural calamities, cardiac arrests, etc.
In Jan, a three-year-old boy, identified as Sathvik from Chinna Chowk locality in Kadapa, slipped and fell from a staircase at a pilgrim amenities complex in Tirumala and succumbed to his injuries. In Feb, a 16-year-old boy identified as Manjunatha from Madikere in Karnataka died of cardiac arrest in Tirumala. There have also been other instances of pilgrims dying in other incidents in Tirumala in the past. In July 2014, M Saroja, a 50-year-old devotee from Chennai, and K Madhu, a 35-year-old local cab driver, died on the spot after an eucalyptus tree got uprooted due to inclement weather and crashed on the devotees.
There has also been a spike in leopard attacks on trekking devotees.
TTD additional executive officer Ch Venkaiah Choudary has been holding consultations with leading insurance companies in the country to design and implement a comprehensive plan for every single devotee visiting Tirumala. The modalities are expected to be finalised soon.