Bengaluru: Disappointed with a meagre emolument of around Rs 1,400 per month, archakas working in temples maintained by the muzrai department are set to carry a protest on Thursday.
Janakiram, president of Karnataka State Religious Endowment Temples Archakas and Agamikas Association, said that around 2,000 archaks will be taking part in the protest. Janakiram added, “At present, we are being given Rs 4,000 per month for doing pujas and rituals. Out of this, archakas will get only Rs 1,400, which is below Rs 50 per day.”
The protest has been called to urge the state government to fix the wages at the rate of Rs 249 per day, which is the minimum daily wage fixed by the Centre. They also seek a grant Rs 2 lakh compensation to family members of deceased archaks from the General Reserve Fund, according to a TOI report.
Janakiram alleged that the government has given Rs 410 crore to the Muslim community and Rs 200 crore to Christians, but has not given funds to Hindu temples, except for the Rs 60 crore they had provided to religious mutts earlier.
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