The Telangana government on Friday announced that priests at Hindu temples in the state will be paid salaries at par with government employees while ''imams'' and muezzins at mosques will be paid Rs 5,000 each.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced that the salaries will be paid from the treasury with effect from September 1.
As and when pay revision is implemented for government employees, the same will be made applicable to the ''archakas'' also.
''Archakas'' perform ''pooja'' at Hindu temples and come under the Endowment Department purview. Rao said that their retirement age will be 65 instead of 58 at present.
The Chief Minister said that ''imams'' and muezzins too will get Rs 5,000 monthly remuneration from September 1, benefiting nearly 9,000 of them. The Telangana government was earlier paying Rs 1,000 per month to them, which was later increased to Rs 1,500.
The Chief Minister also announced that free electricity up to 101 units per month will be supplied to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for domestic consumption, up from 50 units at present.
"Don't confine Yourselves To AC Rooms": Telangana Chief Minister To Officers Telangana Plans To Increase Backward Class Quota For Local Body Polls Actor Rakul Preet Singh's Brother Arrested In Drugs Case In Massive Row Over Karnataka 100% Quota Bill, Chief Minister Deletes Post BJP Plans UP Overhaul To Bounce Back From Lok Sabha Poll Drubbing: Sources "I Divorce You... Your Ex-Wife": Dubai Princess Dumps Husband In Insta Post Watch: Land "Taken By Mafia", Farmer Rolls On Floor With Folded Hands BJP Plans UP Overhaul To Bounce Back From Lok Sabha Poll Drubbing: Sources Trump Recalls Shooting, Says Bullet "Felt Like World's Largest Mosquito" Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.