Tirupati: Additional executive officer of TTD Ch Venkaiah Chowdary stated that the hill shrine of Tirumala stands as a role model for all temples across the country. He gave a presentation on the second day of the ongoing three-day International Temple Convention Expo (ITCX) in Tirupati on Tuesday and emphasised TTD’s commitment to digitisation, aiming for 100 percent IT-based services in the next 2-3 years to enhance transparency for devotees.

The additional EO presented a comprehensive overview of TTD, touching upon its history, darshan management, workforce, institutions, trusts, and welfare initiatives. Highlighting key aspects of TTD’s operations, he noted that Tirumala attracts an annual footfall of approximately 2.5 crore devotees. The shrine boasts a well-organised waiting and queue line system with 63 compartments accommodating around 28,000 pilgrims, offering round-the-clock food and sanitation services.

TTD offers over 7,600 rooms and Pilgrim Amenities Complexes (PACs) accommodating nearly 60,000 pilgrims. On average, 80,000 devotees receive Annaprasadam daily, facilitated by three large kitchens. Devotees also have access to ten varieties of Srivari Prasadams, including 3.5 lakh laddu prasadams distributed each day.

Beyond crowd management, TTD is actively engaged in multiple socio-religious welfare activities. The organisation oversees several Dharmic initiatives such as Annamacharya and Dasa Sahitya projects, the propagation of Sanatana Dharma, and the operation of Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel in multiple languages.

TTD runs 14 hospitals and dispensaries, supported by 1,914 sanitary workers maintaining 207 toilet blocks and cleaning 4.5 square kilometre daily, handling nearly 90 tonnes of garbage. The organisation also plays a significant role in education with 35 institutions serving nearly 20,000 students, including Vedic institutions. Additionally, TTD is responsible for managing 61 temples across the country, four Gosamrakshana Shalas, and eight trusts dedicated to Vedic and heritage preservation.

Venkaiah Chowdary recalled that TTD employs a workforce of 7,000 regular employees, 17,500 outsourced staff, and 2,500 Srivari Seva volunteers, along with 1,250 vigilance and security personnel. Its social initiatives include SV Poor Home for leprosy patients, Karunadhamam for the elderly and abandoned, SV Balamandiram orphanage, a school for the deaf and dumb, and a polytechnic college for specially-abled students.

On this occasion, he was felicitated by Giresh Vasudev Kulkarni, Founder of ITCX Temple Connect, and Sri Prasad Lad, chairman of ITCX 2025 and chief whip of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. The event was also attended by TTD JEO V Veerabrahmam, Vedic University V-C Prof Rani Sadasiva Murty, HDPP secretary Sriram Raghunath, and chief PRO Dr T Ravi, among other dignitaries.