Bengaluru, 4 October

The Karnataka government is moving to streamline the honorarium payment system for Pesh Imams and Muezzins, with the State Waqf Board transferring payments directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.

According to Minority Welfare, Haj, and Waqf Minister UT Khader, the Finance Department has discontinued the traditional cheque payment system for the current financial year.

Accordingly, the Waqf Board’s bank account has been converted into a Single Nodal Agency (SNA) account under the Public Financial Management System. Payments will now be processed through the K2 and Seva Sindhu platforms.

In the first phase, honorariums have already been transferred directly to the bank accounts of 6,735 out of the 15,936 total beneficiaries.

Details for another 2,369 beneficiaries have been submitted to the Seva Sindhu Department, and the process is underway, with the remaining beneficiaries to be covered in the final phase. 

Khader assured that all pending September and October honorariums will be disbursed by the end of November.