Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has initiated the process to amend the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1951, with an aim to strengthen the administrative and financial management of temples, maths and other religious institutions under the Endowment Department.
A high-level meeting in this regard was held at Lok Seva Bhawan on Monday in the conference hall of the Law Department, chaired by Law, Works and Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan.
The meeting discussed amendments to several provisions and sub-sections of the existing law that have become outdated, with the objective of making the legislation more contemporary and relevant to the present-day requirements of religious institutions.
The participants also deliberated on the powers and functions of the Commissioner, Additional Commissioner and authorised officers of the Endowment Department. Matters relating to cadre restructuring and creation of new posts in the department also came up for discussion.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Minister Harichandan said the proposed amendments would help make the administrative and financial management of temples, maths and other religious institutions more robust and effective once the amended law comes into force.
The Endowment Department oversees a large number of temples, monasteries and religious institutions across Odisha, many of which are of considerable antiquity. The proposed changes are aimed at providing a more effective legal and administrative framework for their management.
Law Commissioner Justice Biswanath Rath, Law Department Principal Secretary Pabitra Mohan Samal, Endowment Commissioner Satya Narayan Sarangi, Special Secretary Pranab Kumar Patra, Additional Secretary Shiva Prasad Mahapatra and Additional Government Advocate Manmaya Kumar Das, among others, attended the meeting.
