Wed Jul 02 10:28:24 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:

**Tamil Nadu’s HR&CE Department Flourishes Under Dravidian Model, Says Chief Minister Stalin**

**Chennai, India – July 2, 2025** – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin lauded the significant progress of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department under his Dravidian model government on Wednesday. Speaking at a mass wedding event for 32 couples in Chennai, Stalin highlighted the department’s spiritual commitment and inclusive development over the past four years.

According to Stalin, the HR&CE department has conducted 2,376 free mass weddings, including 576 on Wednesday. He also reported the retrieval of 7,655.75 acres of encroached temple lands, valued at ₹7,701 crore, across 997 temples. Further, 2.03 lakh acres of temple land have been surveyed.

Stalin announced that consecration ceremonies were conducted in 3,177 temples, and renovation works are underway at 26,000 temples with an investment of ₹6,000 crore. The state advisory committee approved repair works for 12,876 temples, allocating ₹425 crore to restore temples over 1,000 years old.

The department has also appointed 29 trained priests from all castes and 46 Othuvars, including 12 women, to promote inclusivity. The corpus fund for the ‘Oru Kaala Poojai’ scheme was increased to ₹2.5 lakh, benefiting over 18,000 temples. The government provides monthly honorariums to priests and educational scholarships to their children.

Stalin criticized those with “hate and a divisive agenda” who refuse to acknowledge the government’s accomplishments. He affirmed his commitment to the welfare of devotees and stated the government’s continued dedication to an inclusive approach, benefiting all members of the community.

Ministers K.N. Nehru, Ma. Subramanian, and P.K. Sekarbabu, along with HR&CE Department officials, were present at the event.

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