Bhubaneswar, Feb. 27: The Jagannath temple administration has decided to set up schools for the children of the servitors.

"We have earmarked funds in our budget for the construction of schools and quarters for the servitors under the Sevayat Kalyan Yojana," said temple's public relations officer Laxmidhar Pujapanda.

Temple sources said the schools for the children of the servitors would come up on 20 acres near Harekrushnapur. The temple administration has already identified 12 acres and sought eight more acres from the government. The administration has also sought to bring all the servitors under a health insurance scheme.

The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration last night passed its annual budget of Rs 197. 69 crore for the 2016-17 financial year.

The budget was approved in a meeting of the temple administration chaired by Puri Maharaja Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb. The budget has focused on generating more revenue from the temple as well as bringing welfare measures for the temple's servitors.

The temple administration has decided to set up two more guesthouses - one near Town police station and another on Jail Road. The administration also allocated Rs 1 crore to be spent on the ongoing restoration of the Jagamohan.

On the revenue fold, the temple administration plans to collect Rs 67.52 crore as land revenue. It will be collected through sale of land belonging to the temple. Earlier, the temple administration had identified 56,000 acres that was lying unused. With further initiatives of the state government, its land pull will touch around one lakh acres spreading across the country.

In many cases, the land has remained encroached upon by various people and institutions. Attempts are now being made to get the land back.

In its first initiative, the temple administration has sought the assistance of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to reclaim the land belonging to it in and around Bhubaneswar.

"An elaborate process has begun for sale of the temple land. We plan to bring Rs 67 crore to the temple's exchequer from land sale proceeds," said Pujapanda.

To expedite the land sale process, the temple administration has also decided to constitute a land cell in the temple office. The administration plans to generate a further Rs 46.16 crore from other sources, such as revenue from quarry mines through collection of royalties, share from lease of lands to farmers and proceeds from sale of paddy and coconuts. It will generate around Rs 14.21 crore more from donations of devotees, the earnings of its three guesthouses and the revenue from shops that have been given on rent.

The temple administration also hopes to get a Rs 64.55 crore government grant and Rs 5.26 crore as interest from its savings kept with various banks. The temple's existing funds has already crossed Rs 300 crore. In the next fiscal, the temple administration plans to add Rs 72 crore more to it.