Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, announced on Monday that priests will now have the authority to auction off temple land instead of the district collectors, in an effort to give temple priests more control.
Currently, the Madhya Pradesh government is in charge of 1,320 temples. Any work pertaining to the temple requires the collector's or administrator's consent.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated during his statement on the occasion of Parshuram Jayanti that temples with more than 10 acres of land will have the authority to auction the land, rather than the collector.
While the proceeds from the sale of the 10 acres of land can be claimed by the priests, any additional proceeds from sales or leases will go to the temple trust.
The CM's move has given priests additional authority over temple property and will reduce the necessity for them to request the collector's consent before selling or leasing temple property.
