Annaprasadam corpus touches 1K-cr mark

Tirupati: Corpus fund of the TTD Annaprasadam Trust touched the whopping Rs 1000-crore mark with the munificent contribution of Rs 1.01 crore on Friday. Bengaluru based ‘Cyber Homes’ and ‘Iconica Constructions’ have jointly donated Rs 2.02 crore to the TTD.

The largesse includes Rs 1.01 crore each to SV Annaprasadam Trust and SV Pranadanam Trust, The representatives of these firms have handed over the demand draft to Tirumala Joint Executive Officer (JEO) KS Srinivasa Raju, in Tirumala today.

TTD started Annadanam, providing free food to the pilgrims visiting Tirumala, in 1984 in a small way. With the donations picking up, TTD floated a separate trust ‘Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam Trust (SVAT)’ for organising free food to the pilgrims in Tirumala on large scale which was later extended to Tirupati, down the hills also.

In Tirupati, free food is provided daily to the pilgrims in TTD pilgrim complexes including Srinivasam, Vishnu Nivasam, II and III choultries and also in hospitals including SVIMS, BIRRD, SVRR and Government Maternity Hospital. In Tirumala, through the trust food items are also provided to the pilgrims in various places including in queue complexes where the devotees wait before having their turn of darshan of God.

In essence, over one lakh pilgrims, 10,000 patients and attendants in hospitals and 5,000 students studying in TTD colleges were provided daily free food through the donations received from the devotees across the globe to SVAT.

To strengthen the Annaprasadam programme, TTD sought donation of vegetables from the vendors and also farmers which received overwhelming response providing free supply of substantial quantity of vegetables from various places in the four states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and two Telugu speaking states.

Speaking to media in Tirumala on Friday, EO Anil Kumar Singhal said that with the donation pouring in non-stop, the TTD achieved the enviable position of reaching Rs 1,000-crore mark. He said that SV Pranadanam Trust standing second in receiving donations which crossed Rs 240 crore.

SVAT Special Officer Venugopal said that with over 4 lakh donors, small and big, the SVPT turned into a movement in the country which was not found anywhere. He said the receiving of donations picking up year after year. With the minimum contribution to the trust is only Rs 1000, more and more are contributing daily to the trust, he averred.