New Delhi [India], December 30 (ANI): Pujaris and Granthis from various parts of Delhi met AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal at his residence after the announcement of 'Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana' and showed satisfaction with the scheme announced by Kejriwal on Monday.

After meeting Arvind Kejriwal, a priest named Mishra Prasad Mishra, from Sanatan Dharam Mandir, Chirag Dilli said, "We met Arvind Kejriwal today and he assured us that he will give Rs 18,000 to the pujaris of the temple under 'Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana'...We are satisfied..."

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Another priest at Biral Temple said, "This is a very good thing...We are very happy...they should not only promise about this scheme, they should implement this too...Many pujaris are paid less at several temples, so this is a very good step...Hope this will be implemented soon..."

A priest at Pracheen Hanuman Mandir, Mahant Naval Kishore welcomed the step and said that temples and gurdwaras facing financial crunch should get the benefit of this scheme and not those which are already in good condition.

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"This is a good step...We welcome this step...but I want to say that those temples and gurdwara which are actually needy should get this...temples and gurdwara which are already in better condition, there is no need for them...The money should be given to those who are actually needy...else the money of the government will get wasted...This is a good step...," said Mahant Naval Kishore.

Notably, ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, Kejriwal announced 'Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana' under which he stated that the priests of temples and the 'granthis' of the Gurudwara will receive an honorarium of about Rs 18,000 per month.

He further stated that this scheme would be implemented once the AAP from the government wins in the upcoming polls in the national capital.

"Today I am making an important announcement regarding a scheme. The name of the scheme is Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana. Under this, there is a provision to give an honorarium to the priests of temples and the 'granthis' of the Gurudwara. They will be given an honorarium of about Rs 18,000 per month. This is happening for the first time in the country. The priest is a class that has carried forward the rituals from generation to generation. They never paid attention to their family and we never paid attention to them," said Kejriwal.

"We know how pujaris serve us. Be it the birthday of our kid or the death of a loved one, they have always connected us with God. But they never gave attention to their own families, and neither did we pay enough attention to them. This is happening for the first time in the country. We have done many works in the national capital which happened for the very first time. We improved schools and hospitals and made bus travel for women. I just hope that the BJP and the Congress governments will learn from this and will implement such schemes in the state run by them," he added further.

Meanwhile, reacting to the announcement of the 'Pujari, Granthi Samman Yojana', Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Monday said that it is the moral duty of every party to formulate policies as per the needs of the society. He further emphasised that the Pujaris and Granthis should be given financial aid as they are not economically well off. (ANI)

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