Endowments funds diversion under BJP's scanner, Govt denies diversion

Amaravati: The BJP AP president Kanna Lakshminarayana and Vice President Vishnuvardhan Reddy condemned the YSRCP government for diverting the funds of Endowment Department to Amma Vodi welfare scheme, on Tuesday.

Lakshminarayana in a letter to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy criticised that the government diverted nearly Rs 25 Cr from the funds of the Endowment Department to the Amma Vodi. He said that these funds were meant for preserving, promoting and protecting the Hindu temples, Hindu religion and Hindu Cult but not for any other purposes. Such diversions from the Endowments department were against the sentiments, emotions and expectations of crores of Hindus. He demanded its immediate reimbursement to the Endowments department. He also warned the government not to undertake such diversions from the Endowments to other issues in future.

Reacting to this criticism, Malladi Vishnu, Chairman, AP Brahmin Welfare Corporation stated that the funds released to the Amma Vodi were in addition to the budgetary allocations to the department and hence released them to the welfare scheme.

Vishnu explained that government released additional funds to Brahmin Corporation through GO RT No 20 dated January 1, 2020, GO RT No 18 dated January 6, 2020, and GO RT No 108 and GO RT No 145 dated January 17, 2020. Through these GOs, the government released more than Rs 26 Crore.

The Brahmin Corporation released the funds to the eligible 17,611 beneficiaries under the Jagananna Amma Vodi scheme, he explained.

Vishnu further explained that, as the Brahmin Corporation is under the administrative control of Revenue (Endowments) Department and the Head of the Department for the Corporation is Commissioner of Endowments all the budgets will be released through the Endowments Department.