Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Thursday gave clean chit to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in connection with deposit of Rs 545 crore of the Shree Mandir in the crisis-hit Yes Bank.
“The SJTA had invited quotations from scheduled commercial banks. Out of 12 banks, Yes Bank on March 12, 2019 had agreed for highest interest rate of 8.61% on deposits which were the highest among all banks. That’s why money was deposited in the Yes Bank,” said Pujari in the Assembly while responding to the adjournment debate moved by opposition BJP in the Odisha Assembly on Puri Jagannath Temple fund stuck in Yes Bank.
The Minister informed that the funds of the Shree Jagannath Temple were managed by Temple Managing Committee and the State Government has no role in it.
“It wasn’t Odisha Government but the SJTA which had parked Lord Jagannath’s funds in Yes Bank,” said the Finance Minister.
During the debate, opposition members, including BJP’s Mohan Charan Majhi and Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra demanded that House Committee be formed to look into irregularities of the funds of Lord Jagannath.
As the Minister did not responded to the demand specifically, Congress members staged a walkout in protest.
