Chennai: CM MK Stalin's government in Tamil Nadu is all set to melt gold from temples in the state. They will be melted to produce 24-carat gold bars. The state government says it is gold that is in possession of temples and is not being used. First of all, the Stalin government is eyeing the Shri Kumariamman temple in Tiruvarkadu, the Mariamman temple in Samayapuram and the Mariamman temple in Erukkankudi.

The Stalin government has said that after melting gold and making biscuits, they will be deposited in national banks and the money that will come from it will be used by the State Hindu Charitable and Religious Endowments (HR &CE) department for the development of temples. CM Stalin launched the scheme on Wednesday (October 13, 2021). The government says it will melt only those gold ornaments donated by devotees which have not been used for the last 10 years.

The state government has said that the plan to 'monetise' temple gold had come only in 1979. It is reported that gold donated by devotees in 9 major temples is to be melted, including the ancient Meenakshi Sundariswara temple in Madurai, Dhandayuthapani temple in Palani, Shri Subramanya Swami temple in Tiruchendur and Mariamman temple in Samayapuram.

Tamil Nadu Govt. says whooping 5 Lakh Kilograms of Gold belonging to TN temples are already melted & deposited in Banks as on date.

The catch is so far this has earned the TN Govt. just ₹11 Crores as interest.

What a JOKE. What a LOOT. https://t.co/97TNPpRnsr

— SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) October 12, 2021

During a hearing in the Madras High Court, the Tamil Nadu government said that the scheme has been in place for the last 44 years. So far, 500 kg of gold kept in temples has been melted and deposited in banks and it has earned the State Government Rs.11 crores as interest. The Government has now decided to melt 2,137 kg of gold. Petitions have been filed in the court stating that the process is not transparent.

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