Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam authorities displaying the gold deposited, at the SBI Gandhinagar branch in Vijayawada, on Monday.
Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (Kanaka Durga temple) authorities deposited 29.510 kg of gold ornaments under the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) at the State Bank of India (SBI), Gandhinagar branch, on Monday. The deposit will earn an annual interest rate of 0.60 per cent.
According to the temple’s executive officer and Special Grade Deputy Collector V.K. Seena Naik, the gold, which had been safeguarded for several years in the temple’s strong room, was carefully verified and handed over to the bank authorities. As per the prevailing market rate of ₹9,010 per gram for 22-carat gold, the total estimated value of the deposited ornaments is approximately ₹26.58 crore.
A special verification committee oversaw the transfer process. The committee included Jewellery Verification Officer and Assistant Commissioner of the Endowments Department Pallam Raju; officials from the Vijayawada Endowments Department; AEOs P. Chandrasekhar, N. Ramesh Babu, and M.S.L. Vasu from the temple; along with temple gold appraiser D. Shammi. Security was provided by the Special Police Protection Force, including a head constable and three constables.
The gold was officially handed over to officials from the SBI Gandhinagar branch in the presence of all committee members and under tight security arrangements.
Published – July 07, 2025 09:07 pm IST
