Three donors including a Sri Lankan donated Indian Rs 2.45 crore to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
Jineshwar Infra Ventures from Chennai and the Sri Lankan donated Rs 1 crore (INR 10 million) each to the SV Annaprasadam Trust, while Pacific BPO (Pvt) Ltd from Noida donated Indian Rs. 4.5 million to SV Pranadana Trust on Thursday, a media release stated.
Former Chief Minister NT Rama Rao launched the Venkateswara Nithya Annadanam Endowment Scheme in 1985 to serve food free to 2,000 pilgrims a day. Later, it was transformed into an independent trust named the Sri Venkateswara Nithya Annadanam Trust in 1994 and later into the Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam Trust in 2014.
Run by donations from across the world, the Trust deposits funds in nationalised banks and meets its expenses to serve food to devotees through the interest earned from them. It serves beverages and three meals a day to thousands of devotees. The mega kitchens of TTD cook nearly 14 tonnes of rice and procure 10,000 litres of milk daily. Up to 7.5 tonnes of vegetables, which come as donations, are used in Annaprasadam canteens daily.
On auspicious days such as the New Year, Vaikunta Ekadasi, Rathasapthami and Garuda Seva, over 200,000 pilgrims are given beverages and food.
The SV Pranadana Trust offers free medical treatment to poor patients afflicted with life threatening diseases related to the heart, brain, cancer and others. This Trust also encourages research for the treatment of diseases such as chronic renal failure, haemophilia, thalassemia and others.
The donors presented the demand drafts to TTD Trust Board chairman BR Naidu and Additional Executive Officer Venkaiah Chowdary at the Ranganayakula Mandapam. (DH)
