In Himachal, devotees will be encouraged to make digital donations at temples. They can make donations through UPI, QR codes, POS machines and online banking directly to the official bank account of the temple.

Promoting cashless donations in temples was one of the key directions in the extensive guidelines issued on Saturday by the Himachal Pradesh government for strengthening and transparency in the state-owned, managed and other temples.

The guidelines have been issued in the wake of allegations of misappropriation of offerings and donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The advisory, issued by the Department of Language, Art and Culture, has asked committees and trusts managing the temples to immediately review their systems for safeguarding cash, jewellery and other valuables.

The government owned/managed temples have been given 30 days to submit a compliance report, indicating existing security arrangements, CCTV coverage, audit and inventory status, banking status, gaps identified and actions taken.

As per the advisory, all donation boxes should be tamper-proof and securely fixed, having a unique identification number. The donation boxes will be opened on a scheduled date fixed by a notified committee. The counting room will have CCTV cameras, and the entire counting process will have to be videographed.

The advisory has further recommended the installation of CCTV cameras, preferably with night vision and voice recorder, at important spaces on the premises, including entrances, exits, counting rooms, etc.

The CCTV footage will have to be retained for a minimum of 180 days, and the possibility of permanent cloud storage could be explored. Besides, every receipt of cash, jewellery, gold and other valuables will be entered in registers and digital records, and monthly internal verification will be conducted by the temple officer. Surprise inspections and audits may be conducted by the department, or district administration.

The department has suggested that police verification of employees engaged in handling cash and valuables be ensured, and they should be rotated periodically. Temple management committees and executive officers will be responsible for the compliance of these instructions.