Amaravati, Dec 25 : As part of Christmas gift, the NDA government in Andhra Pradesh has released Rs 50.50 crore towards honorarium for last one year to pastors in the state.

The amount has been credited to the bank accounts of 8,148 pastors.

The TDP-led coalition released funds to the tune of Rs 50,50,80,000 towards payment of honorarium to pastors from December 2024 to November 2025.

Each pastor has received a monthly honorarium of Rs 6,000 for 12 months.

While participating in Semi Christmas celebrations on December 22, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that funds would be released for honorarium to pastors.

In April, the government disbursed honorarium for pastors from May 2024 to November 2024. The government had released Rs 30 crore ahead of Good Friday.

The NDA government has enhanced the monthly honorarium from Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000.

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.

The National Christian Council had last year thanked Chief Minister Naidu for 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 state government has been paying honorariums to Archakas or priests of Hindu temples, imams, muezzins and pastors.

The government recently completed the disbursement of honorarium to imams and muezzins for six months. The government released Rs 45 crore for this purpose.

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.

/IANS