31 December,2016 10:20 AM IST | | Sanjeev Shivadekar
In the month following demonetisation, Siddhivinayak Temple trust received online offerings worth Rs 33.7 lakh. In 2015, this figure was a mere Rs 8.3 lakh
Even Bappa has embraced going cashless. Over the past month, the Siddhivinayak Temple has witnessed a 305 per cent spike in online donations.
The temple administration says it has received R33.72 lakh in donations through online facilities, a figure that stood at a mere Rs 8.32 lakh in December 2015.
"The number of donations received in boxes kept in temple premises has come down. But the offering received through online payment has seen a massive rise," said an official close to temple trust. Even after repeated attempts to contact temple trust chairman Narendra Rane and CEO Sanjeev Patil, they remained unavailable for comment.
In November, the temple had seen a surge in donations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes right after the demonetisation announcement. File pic
Asked for the reasons in rise of digital payment receipts, the official claimed that it's too early to judge the trend, but the current rise in online payment is due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to encourage digital transaction and take India towards being a cashless society.
This is not the first time the demonetisation has affected the temple. In November, after the PM announced scrapping of R500 and R1,000 notes, the temple had witnessed a 28 per cent surge in donation of the defunct notes. mid-day carried a report on the same on November 18 ('Devotees deposit defunct R1,000s at Bappa's feet).
Rs 45 lakh
Average weekly collection of the temple in cash
Rs 4.88cr
Approximate donation received by Siddhivinayak Temple since the demonetisation announcement
Rs 30cr
Approximate donation received by Shirdi Sai Baba Temple since the demonetisation announcement
