Amaravati, April 17 : In good news to Christian pastors ahead of Good Friday, the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday released Rs 30 crore for paying them honorarium.

The Minorities Welfare Department has issued a Government Order (GO) to pay a monthly honorarium to pastors for seven months (from May 2024 to November 2024).

According to the GO, the amount has been released from the Budget Estimate provision 2025-26 to pay honorarium to 8,427 pastors across the state.

The Commissioner, Minorities Welfare, has been authorised to draw and disburse the amount to the Managing Director, A.P. State Christian (Minorities) Finance Corporation.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu gave the green signal for releasing the amount. Each pastor gets a monthly honorarium of Rs 5,000.

With the government deciding to pay arrears for seven months, each pastor will get Rs 35,000.

The National Christian Council in December last year thanked Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for confirming the resumption of honorarium payments to pastors.

The Council said that the Christian community has long awaited this development, along with the continuation of the subsidy scheme for pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

The TDP-led NDA government has released the funds on the eve of Good Friday.

The ruling alliance, which includes the BJP and Jana Sena, had promised in last year's elections that the schemes for the welfare of minorities, including honorarium for pastors, would continue.

Minorities Welfare Minister N. Md Farooq recently said the government completed the disbursement of honorarium to imams and muezzins for six months. The government released Rs.45 crore for the payment of honorariums to imams and muezzins.

The state government has been paying honorariums to Archakas or priests of Hindu temples, imams, muezzins and pastors.

It was in 2019 that the then YSR Congress Party government headed by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had launched payment of honorarium to pastors as promised during the elections.

The BJP had then condemned the government's move and accused Jagan Mohan Reddy of misusing government-paid village volunteers to identify pastors and pay a monthly stipend to them.

/IANS