Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Jan 5: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday announced introduction of battery-run cars to carry elderly and disabled persons from parking space to Sri Jagannath Temple at Puri and also a series of welfare measures for the priests of the 12th century shrine.
‘‘Battery run environment friendly cars will be commissioned soon to ferry elderly people and persons with disability from the vehicle parking space to the Jagannath temple at regular interval,’’ Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters after reviewing progress made ahead of the Lord’s Nabakalebar festival in July this year.
Stating that the priests are integral parts of the Srimandir, the chief minister said a model public school would be set up at Puri. The school will provide free education to children of ‘Sevayats’ (priests), Patnaik said.
Besides the regular curriculum, Patnaik said the school would provide courses on Vedic education. About 10 acre land has been identified at Motitota for establishment of the school.
‘‘The students of sevayat community will be provided scholarship ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500 per month from Class I to Class X. For students pursuing their technical education, Rs 25,000 will be given as scholarship,’’ Patnaik said.
It has also been decided to provide insurance cover to 8900 members of 1930 sevayat families, Patnaik said adding the insurance cover would be up to Rs 2 lakh for seven members of a family for which Rs 60 lakh would be spent as annual premium.
In its bid to solve the housing problems of Srimandir priests, the chief minister announced a special scheme for the Sevayats.
‘‘The government will provide houses to landless and homestead landless sevayats for which five acres have been identified. The housing project will provide houses at low cost to sevayats coming under the above category,’’ Patnaik said.
