Bhubaneswar: With Covid-19 cases increasing in the State, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has decided to provide facemasks to the servitors engaged in conducting various rituals in the shrine.
“Masks will be given to servitors of Daita Nijog and other Nijogs who are conducting rituals for their safety against coronavirus,” said SJTA Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar after chairing a review meeting on welfare programmes of servitors on Wednesday.
Around 5,000 masks would be prepared in coordination with Boyanika or other SHGs for the purpose.
The design for the masks will be finalised within two days, said Kumar.
He also informed that a second instalment of financial aid would be provided to servitors soon.
“As the temple is shut for a long time impacting on the livelihoods of servitors badly, we had sanctioned Rs 5,000 for each servitor. We have now decided to sanction second instalment of Rs 5,000 each of them,” Kumar said.
He said all servitors would be covered under the health insurance programme.
To a question of observance of Rath Yatra, he said, “The construction work of the chariots is underway; and we hope it will continue.”
Comments are closed.