In a well-timed move before the assembly elections, Arvind Kejriwal, AAP National Convenor and former Chief Minister of Delhi has come out with an innovative initiative to support the custodians of religion in the capital. The scheme is called Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana and aims at providing a monthly stipend of ₹18,000 to temple priests and Gurudwara granthis.
Kejriwal announced the scheme in the course of a press conference. He said,
“This is a historical decision. For the first time, temple priests and Gurudwara granthis, who devoted generations to preserving our cultural and spiritual ethos, will be recognized and supported with a monthly honorarium of approximately ₹18,000. These people have worked tirelessly, putting rituals and traditions before even their families, and this society has ignored their works for too long.”
Registration and Launch Ceremony
The registration process for the scheme is to begin tomorrow. To mark the launch, Kejriwal is scheduled to visit the historic Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place, personally overseeing the beginning of registrations. This gesture underlines the AAP leader’s intent to directly interact with the religious community and redress their grievances that have been pending for years.
Background Amidst Protests by Imams
Interestingly, Kejriwal’s decision is at a time when disgruntlement is brewing within Imams in the Capital. Sajid Rashidi, the President of the All India Imam Association disclosed recently that Imams haven’t drawn salaries for the last 17 months. Rashidi urged the Delhi Government to make available all the funds to the Waqf Board before MCC implementation likely to freeze the disbursement processes.
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved community, Rashidi said:
” Nearly 250 Imams are facing financial distress as their meager monthly salary of ₹18,000 has not been released for over 17 months. The absence of a full-time CEO at the Delhi Waqf Board further aggravates the delay. We humbly request the government to speed up the appointment and release funds to soothe the suffering of affected families.”
Political Undertones
The timing of Kejriwal’s announcement reveals the interplay of governance and electoral strategy. Even as Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana would look to alleviate the woes of temple priests and Gurudwara granthis, parallel unrest among Imams underscores the complexities of religious community management in a politically charged landscape.
As the Delhi government is set to implement this pioneering plan, it will now only be seen how adequately this scheme will balance rival claims while providing equal service support to all spiritual leaders present in the capital.
