TTD to provide life insurance of ₹2,000 to pilgrims who die of natural causes in Tirumala

View of Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala. File | Photo credit: KR Deepak

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board on Wednesday approved a life insurance cover of ₹2,000 for pilgrims who die of natural causes in Tirumala, with the amount being paid to their families.

The landmark decision comes ahead of Lord Venkateswara’s annual Salakatla Brahmotsavams as the temple administration prepares for a significant influx of devotees.

The board, chaired by chairman BR Naidu and attended by managing director M. Ravichandra, also approved a major enhancement in accident insurance for the families of devotees who die in accidents at Tirumala, increasing the compensation from ₹ 3 lakh to ₹ 10 lakh.

The Pilgrim Insurance Initiative represents a significant expansion of TTD’s welfare-focused approach and extends its institutional responsibility to provide financial security to families who face the loss of loved ones while visiting the sacred hill shrine.

The board also extended the benefits of Employee Health Facility (EHF) to retired CPS/NPS pensioners and their families at par with OPS pensioners, besides approving pay hike for 48 SLPMC employees across various TTD departments.

As sanitation and crowd management during Brahmotsavams became critical, ₹ 1.60 crore was sanctioned over three years for transport charges of additional sanitation personnel. Proposals for 400 additional outsourcing locations to increase laddu production during peak demand have also been submitted to the government.

Biogas station

Another major step was IOCL’s proposal to set up a biogas plant using the food waste generated in Annaprasadam centres, canteens and hotels. The operation and maintenance of the facility will be outsourced to GPS Renewables at a cost of ₹ 2.80 crore.

For the Brahmotsavams, scheduled from September 15 to 23, the TTD has planned a buffer stock of 10 lakh laddus per day. The Garuda Seva is expected to attract 15-20% more devotees than the previous year, with arrangements to serve 9.30 lakh devotees with annaprasadam as against 6.13 lakh last year.

The celebrations will begin with Ankurarpanam on September 14, followed by Dwajarohanam on September 15. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will offer silk clothes to Lord Venkateswara and participate in Pedda Sesha Vahana Seva on September 15.

Among other resolutions, the board approved the gilding work in the temples at Narayanavanam and Chennai and extended the license for the TTD building, which houses the Telugu and Sanskrit academies in Tirupati, for three years.

Published – 9 Sep 2026 22:18 IST