Amaravati, April 6 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the 'Nityaannadana' scheme, which initially provided free food to 2,000 devotees at the Tirupati temple four decades ago and now serves 2.8 lakh people daily, has completed another year.
The CM noted that the scheme was launched on April 6, 1985, by former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao.
"Nityaannadana, which began on April 6, 1985, in the presence of Sri Venkateswara Swamy, has completed another year today. It started serving just 2,000 people four decades ago and now provides meals to 2.8 lakh devotees per day," Naidu said in a post on X.
According to the CM, the Sri Venkateswara Annaprasadam (free food for devotees) Trust Fund has crossed Rs 2,500 crore, thanks to the partnership and cooperation of devotees.
He said that the Nityaannadana scheme is also being implemented in 60 additional temples under the purview of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the official custodian of the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.
Inspired by the initiative to provide free food, Naidu noted that TTD has also launched similar programs in health and education through the Vidya Danam Trust and Pranadanam Trust.