Big question raised after theft in Ayodhya Ram temple: Who keeps track of every penny and where is your donation spent? Know everything!

The theft of offerings from Ayodhya Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh has deeply hurt the faith of the devotees. But this is not the first case of this kind. Every year crores of devotees of the country donate cash, jewellery, gold and silver and even their property to temples and mosques. But where does this money actually go? This question might have come to your mind that who guards the donations, offerings, donations etc. received by temples and mosques? Where does the money go after leaving the donation box? Who looks after the management of its offerings? Who is responsible for monitoring the money? And what is the role of the government? Do temples and mosques also have to pay tax on cash and valuables offered by devotees? How do temple-mosque administrations use the money offered? Know in detail-

How do you keep track of offerings?

Talking about the offerings coming to the temples, some people donate money online while some devotees donate cash etc. in the donation box of the temples. Donation boxes are kept at different places in the temples, which are locked, the keys of which are kept safe under the supervision of the temple management so that every person cannot open the donation box. In many temples, code numbers are written on the donation boxes, according to which the security of the keys is ensured.

In whose hands would be the accounting of donated money?

The donation boxes of the temple are opened every year at the fixed time. This process can happen once a week, month or year. The locks of donation boxes are opened under the surveillance of CCTV cameras, where people from the temple management or the trust are present. The entire management of the money in the donation box is jointly looked after by the trust officer and administrative staff of that temple. The security officer is responsible for its security and the bank representative is responsible for depositing the cash etc. in the bank. The accounts of how much money was taken out from which donation box, how much total donation was received etc. are kept by the audit team or authorized employees. Earlier the work of counting the notes was done by the people of the temple trust but now high speed note counting machines are used. The coins are separated. A proper list of gold, silver and jewelery is made.

Then the money reaches the bank…

The cash is packed in boxes and taken to the bank and the deposit is done there through the bank representative. The details of each step in the entire process are recorded in writing. In this way, in different processes, different trusted people seal the offerings in boxes and take them to the bank. The work from opening the boxes to delivering the offerings to the bank is not in the hands of one person. In this way the possibility of manipulation is less. Whereas the offerings received through UPI, QR code and other online mediums are deposited directly into the bank account of the temple trust.

Where is the risk of theft?

In Jansatta’s report, experts say that there are three places where the risk is highest. 1- First of all when the donation box is opened. 2- When cash is counted. 3- When the cash is deposited in the bank account. Apart from this, there is another risk also. 4- While maintaining accounts and records of cash donations received through donation box or other means. If credibility and transparency is broken at these places, then a series of mistakes begin and the possibility of fraud begins to arise.

That’s why audits are conducted

This is the reason why audits are conducted from time to time so that it can be known from where the money offered was received. How much did you get? Where and how much was spent? When the balance of records maintained and total offerings do not match, questions arise on audit. Although internal audits are conducted from time to time in some temples, but as per the rules, there is a provision to get the financial statements audited by a chartered accountant. This is a legal responsibility of the trust. So that if there is any complaint or suspicion of irregularities, immediate action can be taken. If this happens, then the government or competent authority investigation committee or special investigation team (SIT) is involved in the further proceedings. Who investigate the faults and culprits.

Where is the money offered?

Once the temple money reaches the bank, it is deposited in the temple or temple trust account and receipt is taken. After which audits are conducted from time to time. Then the amount of offering is first used for the operation of the temple, salary of the people working there, worship, religious programs, hospital, school, granary, dharamshala, animal welfare and development works of the area. An account is also prepared of where and how much money has gone. Everything is recorded in the financial records after which an audit is conducted so that the accounts of the income and expenditure of the temple can be cleared.

Does this happen in other religious places?

There is no specific law in India to audit temples or religious institutions as some temples have their own private trusts. Some are registered as religious trusts. And some come under the boards formed by the state government. Therefore, the audit process and level of transparency is also different. Be it temple, gurudwara, church, mosque (waqf board) or other religious trust. It is mandatory for everyone to maintain financial records under their respective legal framework as it is not a matter of religion or institution but a matter of public trust.

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