Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts chairman Ranbir Nandan tells STOI’s B K Mishra that mandatory registration and regular audits of temples, mutts and dharamshalas are needed in the state to streamline their earnings and prevent misuse of funds. Excerpts: What is the total number of temples, mutts and dharamshalas in the state and how many of them are registered?There are altogether 9,899 temples and mutts across the state, but only 4,447 are registered. The remaining 5,452 units are in the process of getting registered.What steps has the board initiated to get unregistered religious units registered?To curb financial opacity and protect religious assets, the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts, which operates under the Bihar Hindu Religious Trusts Act, 1950, has launched a major exercise. The board has made it mandatory for all public temples, mutts and dharamshalas to get registered and submit details of their immovable properties.The board has been encouraging unregistered units to complete the process by submitting documents related to land deeds and donated properties to the concerned district magistrates, sub-divisional officers and circle officers. Registration is carried out after verification by the authorities concerned.What is the recorded income of these temples from offerings and donations? How do they spend it?The income of temples varies according to their popularity, footfall and the offerings and donations they receive from devotees. The board seeks annual statements of income and expenditure, along with audited reports, from all registered temples and collects tax on their earnings.All temples are required to pay 4% of their annual income as tax to the board.How many temples or mutts are utilising their income for philanthropic and educational activities?All major temples and mutts in the state spend a significant portion of their income on social welfare activities, including educational institutions and healthcare centres. Temple trusts direct funds towards infrastructure projects that benefit pilgrims and local residents.Temple earnings are used to build roads, water supply networks and public toilets. The trusts also provide educational grants to meritorious students, funds for local libraries and medical assistance to the poor.
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What steps has the board initiated to encourage temples to undertake social welfare activities?The board has been urging these institutions to utilise surplus funds for broader social development. This includes opening and maintaining traditional gyms, running programmes to eradicate social evils and providing financial assistance to educational institutions catering to children from poor families.Through these measures, religious trusts in Bihar are gradually emerging as engines of socio-economic progress, helping uplift marginalised communities and ensuring that the state’s spiritual wealth translates into public welfare.
