Big Canteens and Janata Canteens Allotted in A Transparent Manner - TTD Chairman

To enhance the quality of Seva and to revamp Srivari Seva, TTD is coming out with various reforms that includes Group Supervisors, Sevak Trainers besides Professional and NRI Sevas, said TTD Chairman Sri BR Naidu.

Addressing a media conference in Annamaiah Bhavan at Tirumala on Wednesday evening along with the TTD EO Sri J Syamala Rao, Additional EO Sri Ch Venkaiah Chowdary, CV&SO Sri Muralikrishna, the TTD Board Chief said, the Srivari Seva voluntary service system was introduced by TTD in the year 2000 with the blessings of HH Sri Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamiji of Kanchi Mutt in Tirumala with just 200 Sevaks in the initial days and as on today, in the last 25years (till August 31, 2025) around 17lakh sevaks have rendered Seva.

In the last two and a half decades, Srivari Seva has reached the level of being a Support Arms to TTD by leaps and bounds and with a noble intention to take forward Srivari Seva to newer heights and to enhance selfless Seva consciousness among Srivari Sevaks, under the directives of the Honourable CM of AP Sri N Chandrababu Naidu, TTD is also contemplating to bring many reforms in Srivari Seva which also includes Professional Seva and NRI Seva. The unique concepts of Group Supervisor Seva and Srivari Sevak Trainer Seva are also a part of this initiative aimed at improving the quality and spirit of Seva among Srivari Sevaks, he observed.

Later, the Chairman along with other mandarins of TTD inaugurated the Srivari Seva Group Supervisor and Sevak Trainer modules on the occasion. He said, the bookings are open for those who are aged between 45years to 65years with any Degree as their qualification. The Sevak Trainers will be given training on the significance of Srivari Seva, Tirumala history and various amenities given to the pilgrims and others jointly by the IIM Ahmedabad experts and Director of Planning Department, Government of AP. The training will last for three days besides one day Field Visit to acquire practical experience before they embark into Srivari Seva activity.

Elaborating on the same, the TTD EO said, the Group Supervisors will supervise the activity of the Sevaks who are performing their Seva at different places in Tirumala and Tirupati. They give grading to the sevaks individually based on the performance of their Seva as Excellent/Very Good/Average. For those who discharge Seva with devotion, a separate Database will be maintained for such sevaks and their services will be utilized during the peak days and important occasions by TTD. While the Sevak Trainers who underwent training under the experts team, plays a pivotal role in preparing Sevaks even before they report for Seva at Tirumala, enabling them to perform their services with confidence, efficiency, and devotion by giving them proper training at the respective places of Srivari Sevaks who have booked for Srivari Seva online. This proactive training and preparedness will not only ensure smoother Seva operations but will also elevate the quality of services rendered to visiting pilgrims, thereby enriching their overall spiritual experience.

The Additional EO said, for the first time the TTD management evolved a new policy for licensing Big and Janatha Canteens situated in Tirumala by calling Expression of Interest (EoI) bidding process, duly fixing the license fee for each canteen in advance, specifically to discourage revenue maximization by the selected firms and toensure that the primary goal of canteen operations is to serve visitingpilgrims with affordable, hygienic food but not huge profits. "Many branded firms from Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Navi Mumbai besides Vijayawada, have won the bid. A committee has been constituted to evolve a transparent procedure and industry-accepted norms have also been incorporated. Even Sampradya Bhojanam (traditional food) has also been prescribed in the menu", he maintained.

VGOs Sri Ram Kumar, Sri Surendra, DyGM(IT) Sri Venkateswarulu Naidu, IT Projects Manager Sri Nadamuni, JIO team and others were also present.