The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : US federal move, a relief to TTD

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Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

US federal move, a relief to TTD

A. D. Rangarajan

Bail-out for crisis-ridden Citibank

Citibank provides payment gateway for e-hundi
Meltdown casts shadow on online amounts

TIRUPATI: The US government’s reported move to bail out the ailing Citibank by infusing US $300 billion has caused the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to heave a sigh of relief, though in a hushed way. Surprised about the link? Citibank provides the payment gateway for ‘e-hundi’, the TTD’s prestigious online contribution point into which the devotees of Lord Venkateswara across the globe drop their ‘offerings’. As in the case of the traditional ‘hundi’ in the Tirumala temple, one can offer money through this web-based interface with ease.

Web-based interface

A devotee has to just enter the TTD’s portals www.tirumala.org, www.tirupati.org or www.ttdsevaonline.com and click the ‘e-hundi’ option, enter his credit card details and the amount. Roughly, about 1,000 devotees contribute to the ‘e-hundi’ every month though this channel, though the amount transferred thus is variable. The amount is generally in the $100-$1000 band, depending on the significance of the occasion and the capability of the payer.

In spite of the alarming turn of events at Citibank’s headquarters, the TTD officials are not jittery. “There is no need for worry. Five years ago, the bank used to have the amount as a fixed deposit. As the rate of interest offered was very low, we have recently insisted that the amount be directly credited to our account through Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS). This will ensure transfer of funds on the same day,” highly-placed sources told The Hindu. Further, the TTD has nothing to lose as the service charges involved in the online transfer are also collected from the devotee only. The sources, however, did not go into the future of the working arrangement with the bank. The global meltdown has, however, cast a shadow on the quantum of amount received online by the Devasthanams, the custodian of the world’s richest temple.

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