The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Lord Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala, has said that it has received Rs 4 crore in demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

This figure, was just over the last two months, after the deadline to exchange these notes expired on December 30.  

According to reports, the TTD has now written to the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Speaking to reporters, D Sambasiva Rao, Executive Officer of the TTD, said,  "We have already written to the RBI and the government about the demonetised notes, offered by devotees as fulfillment of their vows and are awaiting a reply."

He also reportedly said that it was a common practice among devotees of Lord Venkateswara to accumulate cash in tiny boxes in their 'puja' rooms, which they would later donate to Tirumala during a pilgrimage. 

Officials speculated that this could be one of the reasons. 

Last month, the TTD approved its annual budget for 2017-18, projecting an estimated revenue of Rs 2,858 crore.

The budget outlay went up by 5.85%, from Rs.2,678 crore for 2016-17.

At the time, TTD Board Chairman Chadalavada Krishnamurthy said that cash offerings by devotees at the temple 'hundi' is projected for Rs 1,110 crore while interest on investments in various nationalised banks is estimated to fetch Rs 807.7 crore.

TTD expects Rs 100 crore from the sale of hair offered by devotees, who get their heads tonsured after 'darshan'. The sale of Rs 300 special entry 'darshan' is expected to fetch a minimum of Rs 256 crore for the financial year.

The sale of 'laddu prasadam' is expected to generate an additional Rs 165 crore for the TTD.

On the expenditure side, TTD will take up various engineering works with an estimated cost of about Rs 200 crore. The body will spend Rs 828 crore on salaries to the permanent and outsourcing employees.



IANS inputs