PNS|Hyderabad
The Telangana Congress government has reportedly put on hold its plan to appoint social media coordinators in temples, after internal concerns were raised over potential ideological mismatches and personal background issues of those being considered for the posts. The move, initially aimed at enhancing temple outreach through digital platforms, has now run into resistance .
The project, spearheaded by Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, aimed to deploy social media coordinators across 408 temples in the state. These coordinators were expected to handle content dissemination related to temple activities through platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, thereby improving local engagement and visibility of temple events.
However, party insiders revealed that the proposal triggered discomfort among certain leaders, who questioned how the religious sensitivity of the initiative could be maintained if the appointed coordinator happened to be an atheist, or was in an interfaith marriage, or lacked a demonstrable connection to the temple’s traditions or ended up being alcoholic.
These concerns reportedly led to a quiet rollback of the plan.
Prior to the pause, the government had even initiated steps to form temple boards. An honorarium was also being considered for the social media posts. The process was expected to be wrapped up within 20 days.
The idea was seen as a dual-purpose initiative — helping temples adapt to digital modes of communication, and simultaneously creating grassroots engagement opportunities for Congress workers.
