Hyderabad: Telangana Endowments Minister Konda Surekha on Saturday resolved long-pending promotion issues for priests and executive officers (EOs) in various temples, bringing long-awaited relief to temple staff.
At a ceremony held in the Secretariat, she handed over promotion orders to 16 employees. These included priests engaged in Vedic recitation and EOs promoted from Grade-III to Grade-II, among others. The upgrades followed orders under GO MS No. 261.
The Minister also cleared promotions for staff in feeder roles such as EO Grade-I, Mofussil Superintendents, and Assistant Executive Officers in key temples. To resolve delays in seniority approvals, the government initiated a review and decided to form a committee with experienced retired officials to speed up departmental promotions.
Medical and retirement benefits for temple staff
Surekha further announced enhanced retirement benefits for temple employees, doubling the package from ₹4 lakh to ₹8 lakh. She pushed for housing loans up to ₹10 lakh at subsidised interest rates under the Archaka Welfare Fund. During the event, four staff members received medical reimbursement documents.
Temple development master plan
Reviewing progress with Endowments Director Venkatarao, the Minister assessed a master plan to develop 10 major temples across the state. This includes infrastructure upgrades at the Yadagirigutta Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, where the golden gopuram is a key highlight. She emphasised the need for improved facilities for devotees and called for timely execution of all related works.
Priests welcome the move
Jyotichandra Sharma, a senior priest, expressed gratitude. “We’ve waited years for this. Minister Surekha personally intervened and resolved it. We thank her and pray for her well-being,” he said.
కొండా సురేఖ చొరవతో అర్చకులు, ఈవోలకు పదొన్నతులు
ఏళ్లుగా పెండింగ్లో ఉన్నసమస్యకు మంత్రి కృషితో పరిష్కారం
అర్చకులు మెడికల్, రిటైర్మెంట్ బెనిఫిట్స్
మంత్రి సురేఖకి ప్రత్యేక కృతజ్ఞతలుః జ్యోతిచంద్ర శర్మ, ప్రధాన అర్చకులు
హైదరాబాద్ః
దేవాదాయ శాఖలో ఏండ్ల తరబడి… pic.twitter.com/VXEoP7pFWi
— Konda Surekha (@iamkondasurekha) August 23, 2025
