Bengaluru, 24 May

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has reserved the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, one which aims to benefit priests serving in low income temples, for the assent of the President.

The bill was passed by the Karnataka Assembly on 6 March, 2024 and submitted to the Governor afresh on 16 May, 2025.

It aims to enhance the common pool of funds from the high income generating temples and improve the lives of priests serving in low income temples, a source in the Religious Endowment Department said.

Karnataka Religious Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy had earlier said that there are 3,000 C-Grade temples in the state which have less than Rs five lakh income from where 'Dharmika Parishad' gets no money.

Dharmika Parishad is a committee to improve the temple management for the benefit of pilgrims.

There are B-grade temples with income between Rs five lakh and Rs 25 lakh from where five per cent of the gross income has been going to the Dharmika Parishad since 2003, he explained.

The Dharmika Parishad has been getting 10 per cent of revenue from those temples whose gross income was above Rs 25 lakh since 2003, the Minister said.

"Now what we have done is we have made it free from paying to Dharmika Parishad if the income is up to Rs 10 lakh. We have made provisions to collect five per cent from temples whose gross income is between Rs 10 lakh and less than one crore. Ten per cent of the income will be collected from temples whose income is above Rs one crore. All this amount will reach the Dharmika Parishad," Reddy had said.

The Minister had said there were 40,000 to 50,000 priests in the state whom the state government wants to help.

"If the money reaches Dharmika Parishad then we can provide them insurance cover. We want their families to get at least Rs five lakh if something happens to them. To pay the premium we need Rs seven crore to Rs eight crore," he explained.

The Minister said the government wants to provide scholarships to children of temple priests, which would require Rs five crore to Rs six crore annually.

This entire amount will benefit the temple priests only, many of whom are in poor condition, he explained.

The bill proposes grant in aid to the religious institutions of notified category-C only, which is less income or in needy circumstances.

It proposes that four general members of the management committee should be skilled in Vishwakarma Hindu temple architecture and sculpture.

"I am of the opinion that instead of giving assent to the proposed bill, I would deem fit to reserve this bill for the kind consideration of the Honourable President to avoid more constitutional complications, since it involves constitutional restrictions as well as scrutiny," Gehlot said in his order on Friday.