Karnataka issues SOP on hundi management, gives push to digital payments
Amid the furore over alleged embezzlement of hundi (collection box) donations in Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya taking centre stage nationally, the Karnataka government has
Amid the furore over alleged embezzlement of hundi (collection box) donations in Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya taking centre stage nationally, the Karnataka government has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP), involving a digital push, to handle donations safely, transparently and with accountability in over 33,000 temples under the Muzrai Department. The SOP, issued by the Revenue Department, bars the involvement of the public in the counting process and makes the involvement of government employees, bank employees and home guards mandatory. Digital payments such as UPI will not only bring transparency and ease of payment, but also reduce theft of cash or donation bags in temples witnessing heavy rush. The SOP also provides access to QR codes for donations and at counters distributing seva receipts and prasad.
Digital integration The digital payment system will be integrated with the accounts of the temple. To prevent any misuse of QR codes, they are to be made available only where the hundi is placed. The SOP says that temple officials should take steps to prevent damage to genuine QR codes or the sticking of another QR code over the genuine one. The latest SOP has asked temple administrations to identify appropriate places to keep the hundi and provide security, besides installing CCTV cameras to ensure a view of the hundi from all four directions. The cameras are to be monitored from the Muzrai section in the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The central server to be installed in the Muzrai Department’s central office will monitor all cameras.
The SOP seeks the creation of a dashboard in the respective Deputy Commissioner’s office, Superintendent of Police’s office and jurisdictional police station to enable live viewing. Hundi counting Asking temple authorities to fix “hundi counting” days in advance, it seeks the opening of the hundi for counting once a week in temples receiving large donations and once every two weeks in temples receiving moderate donations. The counting is to be carried out in the presence of the Tahsildar. Gold and silver items are to be assessed and deposited in the treasury on the same day as the counting. Officials involved in the counting process should declare their “cash in hand” before the exercise and be subjected to facial recognition. The entire process of opening the hundi, counting the collections and transporting the cash to the bank should be videographed.
The BriefWire