Several viral posts on social media are accusing Karnataka's Congress-led state government of siphoning off Rs 445 crore from funds raised in Hindu temples, and giving Rs 330 crore to mosques and churches.
BOOM found this claim to be misleading; our fact-check shows that the funds for minorities in Karnataka are drawn from the Minorities Development Corporations of the state and not from funds allocated for Hindu temples. This claim is old and was first circulated after the Karnataka state government presented its 2024-25 state budget on February 16, 2024.
“Karnataka Congress loots ₹445 Cr from temples & gifts ₹330 Cr to mosques & churches, whose income doesn’t even contribute to the exchequer.” the viral post read.
The current claim originated from a screenshot taken during a news debate on the CNN-News18 channel, which was uploaded to YouTube in February, last year.
CNN-News18’s anchor Rahul Shivshankar also misreported it back then, claiming that “the money will be used to fund religious welfarism drawn from vast resources raised from Hindu temples that are under state control,” at the 4:32 timestamp.
Fact-check
To check the veracity of the claim, BOOM went through Karnataka's Budget for FY 2024-25 and found the claim to be misleading.
While Rs 330 crores has been allocated for the development of Waqf properties and Christian communities, this will be done through the Minorities Development Corporations in the state and not from the revenues of Hindu temples. Besides, the budget also includes funds for Hindu temples.
Funds allocated for religious minorities
Under a section titled ‘Minorities Welfare’ (Page 55), we found several points outlining the budget allocated for the development and empowerment of minority communities such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Jains in the state. Some of these include:
Rs 100 crore for the development of Waqf properties.
Rs 10 crore for the construction of Mangaluru Haj Bhavan.
Rs 200 crore for the development of the Christian community.
Rs. 20 crore for basic facilities at major pilgrimage destinations in the State.
Rs. 50 crore for the development of major pilgrimage destinations of Jains.
Rs. 2 crore for the financial empowerment of the Sikligar Community.
In all, a total of Rs 393 crore was allocated for various programs for all religious minorities. However, it is specified that the funds will be drawn from the Minorities Development Corporations, not from the revenues of Hindu temples.
Funds allocated for Hindu Temples
We found that the Budget also allocated funds for Hindu temples in Karnataka, which the claim didn’t mention.
Funds were set aside for pilgrims from Karnataka, and there were promises to build well-equipped residential complexes at pilgrimage sites like Tirumala, Srishaila, Varanasi, and Guddapur, with over Rs 300 crores allocated for this.
Further, Karnataka’s temples fall under The Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997.
The Act clearly states that the earnings from Hindu temples are meant only for the purposes of the Hindu religion and not for other purposes.
According to the Act, the funds will be drawn from a ‘Common Pool Fund’ which receives its grants from the state government and other institutions.
Under the sub-section titled ‘Administration of Common Pool Fund,’ it outlines several conditions for how the funds can be used. These include providing aid to any “religious institution which is poor or in needy circumstances” and for “any religious purposes connected with the Hindu Religion.”
Additionally, in response to CNN-News18’s Shivshankar’s misreporting, Karnataka’s Transport and Muzrai Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, on February 16, 2024, posted a clarification on X stating that the endowment funds will be used exclusively for Hindu temples and will not be diverted to other purposes.