Jammu, Aug 20 : The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) is taking significant steps to modernise and streamline the process of handling devotees’ offerings, with the manual counting system set to be completely phased out within the next fortnight, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Wednesday.
Addressing the issue of transparency and efficiency in the management of temple offerings, Sinha said the idea to discontinue manual counting was suggested by a Board member during a meeting.
"There is a lot of discussion in the country regarding temple offerings. A respected member of the Board suggested in a meeting that the manual counting process should be stopped. So, two Cash Recycler Machines (CRM) have been installed there, and the remaining CRMs will be installed in 15 days," the Lt Governor, who is also chairman of the SMVDSB, said at a function here.
Sinha clarified that neither employees of the Shrine Board nor bank officials will have any direct involvement in the handling and counting of offerings once the new system is fully operational.
"The human interface itself has been eliminated. No employee of the Shrine Board or the bank will have any direct involvement in it," he said.
He said the move is aimed at strengthening institutional mechanisms for the management of devotees’ offerings and ensuring that the process is carried out through a technology-driven system with greater transparency and accountability.
The issue has come into the spotlight following the controversy over the alleged theft of donations by the counting staff at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
