Chennai donor contributes Rs 1 crore to TTD's free food scheme for pilgrims

Tirupati, Jan 31 (PTI) A devotee from Chennai on Friday donated Rs 1 crore to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's (TTD) SV Annaprasadam Trust.

Venkatesh Kannapan donated the amount to TTD additional executive officer Ch Venkaiah Chowdary at Ranganayakula Mandapam in the form of a demand draft.

“Kannapan has donated Rs 1 crore to SV Annaprasadam Trust of TTD,” said the temple body in an official press release.

Former CM N T Rama Rao introduced the Venkateswara Nithya Annadanam Endowment scheme in 1985 to serve free food to 2,000 pilgrims a day.

Later, it was transformed into an independent trust by the name of Sri Venkateswara Nithya Annadanam Trust in 1994 and further into Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam Trust in 2014.

Run by donations from across the world, the trust deposits funds in nationalised banks and meets its expenses to serve food to devotees through the interest earned on them.

It serves beverages and three meals a day to thousands of devotees.

PTI STH ROH