India, Oct. 27 -- Karnataka chief minister D K Shivakumar said on Monday that the government is considering a statewide scheme to ensure that gold and jewellery held by temples are properly accounted for and used to adorn deities, rather than remaining in storage.

The proposal would cover temples across the state, Shivakumar said at the Renuka Yellamma temple in Savadatti in Belagavi district. He also announced that he had asked the religious endowments minister to explore using about 42 kg of gold held by the shrine to adorn the deity.

"Gold belonging to temples should be used for adorning the deities. Proper accounts must be maintained for the gold held by all temples. There should be no room for concerns about gold being kept in boxe...