Ongole, July 6, 2013: Priests under the banner of the Andhra Pradesh Archaka Samakhya staged a demonstration in front of the endowments office here on Friday to press for their demands including PRC pay-scales.

The archakas, led by its Prakasam district president U. Sitaramacharyulu raised slogans highlighting their hereditary rights to priesthood.

“It is not a profession to fix age of retirement,” said its district general secretary M.A. Seshacharulu.

Agama pandit Parankusa Kesavacharyulu pressed for provision of Pattadar passbooks for temple lands held by priests and hand over those temples with less than Rs. 2 lakh annual income to priests themselves for maintenance. They demanded proper implementation of the Rs. 2,500 ‘Dhupa Deepa Nayvedhyam scheme’ for temples with meagre income.

They submitted a memorandum to Endowments Assistant Commissioner K.B. Srinivasa Rao.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 6, 2013.