Latest news with #HR&CE)Department
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Five lakh witnessed Tiruchendur temple consecration: Minister P Sekar Babu
THOOTHUKUDI: Chants of "arohara" reverberated on the Tiruchendur sea shore during the consecration of Subramaniys Swamy temple, which was performed from 6.22 am on Monday. After this, theertham was sprayed on devotees using drone-mounted sprinklers. A grand yaga salai comprising 76 homa kundams had been built and 108 Odhuvars, including 12 women, recited hymns from the Thirumurai. Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department Minister P Sekar Babu said around five lakh people had converged on the town to witness the consecration. Besides him. "We expect more devotees to come to offer worship and required facilities are in place for them," he added. Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan, collector K Elambahavath, and former union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, also participated. According to Sekar Babu, the temple complex has been renovated at the cost of Rs 400 crore. This includes Rs 200 crore contributed by Shiv Nadar Foundation and the rest funded by the government. A few works are pending and they would be completed by October 2025, he said. The Tiruchendur consecration is the real conference of devotees, whereas an event held in Madurai recently was a sanghi conference, he added. The temple was last consecrated on July 2, 2009.
Hans India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Stalin defends Dravidian model of governance, slams critics
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday strongly defended the achievements of his government's Dravidian model, particularly in the domain of temple administration and social welfare, while taking a veiled dig at detractors who "were unable to tolerate the progress being made". Addressing a mass wedding ceremony organised by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, the Chief Minister said: "True devotees are able to recognise the accomplishments of this government, which is founded on the principle of 'everything for everyone'. But those filled with hatred and bent on dividing society are unable to digest this." He went a step further to criticise individuals who, he alleged, disguise themselves as pious devotees but are driven by political animosity. "They cannot accept the fact that temples are being administered with transparency and social justice,' he remarked. Stalin listed several achievements of the HR&CE Department over the last four years, most notably the consecration of 3,170 temples across the state — a figure he said was unprecedented. He also pointed out the increasing popularity of public service initiatives under the department, such as free weddings, Annadhanam (free meals), and heritage restoration projects. Referring to a recent cartoon published in a Tamil weekly magazine that mocked him and his cabinet, the Chief Minister dismissed it as a product of a "long-standing grudge". "These criticisms don't affect me. I draw strength from them and will continue to work for the welfare of the people." He clarified that the cartoon was not an act of spiritual concern, but a deliberate attempt to ridicule his administration. "Their aim is not to serve devotion or religion, but to attack our efforts and mock our ministers. Nevertheless, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to serving true devotees with dedication," he said. Stalin also used the opportunity to bless and congratulate the newlywed couples at the event. Urging them to name their children in Tamil, he wished them a life of health, happiness, and mutual respect. The event is part of the HR&CE Department's broader social outreach, aimed at making temple services more inclusive and people-centric.
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HR&CE Department saw remarkable growth under Dravidian model government: T.N. CM Stalin
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has witnessed remarkable growth under the Dravidian model government over the last four years, reflecting both its spiritual commitment and inclusive development. Speaking at a free mass wedding event organised for 32 couples in Chennai, Mr. Stalin said a total of 2,376 free mass weddings have been conducted through the department in the last four years, including the 576 ceremonies held on Wednesday. Highlighting some of the department's achievements, Mr. Stalin said consecration ceremonies had been conducted in 3,177 temples, while 7,655.75 acres of encroached temple lands valued at ₹7,701 crore were retrieved across 997 temples. A total of 2.03 lakh acres of temple land have been surveyed and renovation works are under way at 26,000 temples at an estimated cost of ₹6,000 crore. He said the State advisory committee has approved repair works for 12,876 temples and a total of ₹425 crore has been allocated for restoring temples that are over 1,000 years old while preserving their heritage. The department has appointed 29 trained persons from all castes as priests and 46 Othuvars, including 12 women. The corpus fund under the 'Oru Kaala Poojai' scheme has been increased to ₹2.5 lakh, benefitting more than 18,000 temples. The government is also providing monthly honorariums to priests and educational scholarships to their children pursuing higher studies, he said. 'The Dravidian model government is working with an inclusive spirit of everything for everyone. However, some individuals who were driven by hate and a divisive agenda are unable to accept our accomplishments. True devotees have appreciated the initiatives undertaken by the government,' he said, adding that his government would continue working for the welfare of devotees. Ministers K.N. Nehru, Ma. Subramanian, and P.K. Sekarbabu and officials of the HR&CE Department were among others present.
The Hindu
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker reaffirms HR&CE's control over temples in the state
Tamil Nadu legislative assembly speaker M. Appavu reiterated that the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department can never be removed from managing temples across the state, while addressing the media here on Friday. Referring to the resolution passed at the recently held Lord Murugan conference, which demanded HR&CE department to hand over administration of all temples to an independent board, he said, 'Even after gaining independence, there existed a deplorable situation in Hindu temples, where people other than the 10% upper caste Hindus were not allowed entry. That is why the government has intervened and formed the HR&CE department and declared that everyone is equal, ensuring that all people could walk on temple streets and enter temples.' Mr. Appavu added that because of this inclusive approach, the HR&CE department is now being successfully run by the government for the self respect of the remaining 90% Hindus. He criticised those who believe the HR&CE department could be evicted from the temple administration and handed over to the 10% of the upper caste Hindus, as was the situation in the past. 'That will never happen in Tamil Nadu,' he asserted. He further remarked, 'They (the BJP government) have completed 10 years of their tenure and during that time, they have already privatised harbours, airports and airlines across the country.' Now they are daydreaming about privatising the ancient and historically rich temples under the HR&CE department, he added. Mr. Appavu asserted that the people of Tamil Nadu will never accept such a move, nor will they accept anyone who comes with such ideology. He also expressed his disappointment that, at the very least a resolution was not passed to mandate that pujas in all Lord Murugan temples be performed in Tamil, given that Lord Murugan is considered a Tamil deity. 'But they will never accept Tamil,' remarked Mr. Appavu.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
Temple land worth 1 crore retrieved from encroachers in Krishnagiri
Krishnagiri: The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department on Thursday demolished nine houses that were built on a parcel of land belonging to the Krishnagiri Pudupettai Arulmigu Prasanna Parvathy Sametha Chandra Mouleswarar Temple and retrieved 34 cents worth Rs1 crore. According to an official source, the temple land was encroached years ago by several people to build houses. "We had earlier issued notices to the owners of these houses with a request to vacate the place. Since they did not leave on their own, we demolished the houses today (Thursday) with the help of earthmovers and retrieved the temple land. The drive was carried out in the presence of police to avoid any untoward incidents. " Pointing out that some houseowners had petitioned the HR&CE commissioner against the eviction drive, the source said they would continue the drive to retrieve the encroached temple land after the conclusion of an inquiry.
