Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chairman of Shree Somnath Trust, chaired a meeting of the board which manages the affairs of the famous Somnath temple in Gujarat, at Raj Bhavan here on Monday.
Modi was appointed the chairman of the trust in January 2021 after the demise of the then-chairman and former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chairman of Shree Somnath Trust, chaired a meeting of the board which manages the affairs of the famous Somnath temple in Gujarat, at Raj Bhavan here on Monday.
The trust said Modi's tenure as the chairman was extended by another five years.
Modi was appointed the chairman of the trust in January 2021 after the demise of the then-chairman and former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel.
"Chaired a meeting of the Shree Somnath Trust in Gandhinagar. We discussed various aspects relating to the working of the Trust. Reviewed how we can leverage the latest technology for the Temple complex so that the pilgrimage experience will be even more memorable. Also took stock of the various environment-friendly measures being taken by the Trust," Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Gujarat which started on Monday. Earlier in the day, he offered prayers at the famous temple of Goddess Amba in Ambaji town in Banaskantha district.
A video titled "Meri Mitti, Mera Deash," throwing light on the history, bravery and tradition of the centuries-old temple, situated at Veraval in Gir Somnath district, was launched by Modi on the occasion, the trust said in a statement.
A dashboard was also launched to provide daily details of the number of devotees visiting the temple as well as the number of online bookings, distribution of prasad, etc., it said.
Modi was apprised of the progress made by the temple to facilitate the visits by elderly and differently-abled devotees with the use of information technology. The trust has set up an in-house system with modern cameras to broadcast various programmes on the official YouTube channel, it said.
The trust has also taken several environment-friendly initiatives such as waste management and effluent treatment to process "Somganga" packed and distributed in glass bottles to devotees, it said.
The land acquired around the temple premises is being used for the construction of a Sanskrit school and college, and guest houses for pilgrims, parking facilities, as per the release.
Veteran BJP leader LK Advani, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat-based scholar JD Parmar, and businessman Harshvardhan Neotia are the trustees of the Shree Somnath Trust.
-With PTI Input