Tirth Yatra Yojana to resume from September 4

The pilgrimage scheme which was stopped after heavy rains in parts of the country will restart with 7 new routes
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal flagging off the first train of devotees under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana in July | Parveen Negi
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal flagging off the first train of devotees under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana in July | Parveen Negi

NEW DELHI:  The Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana under which the Delhi government organises free visits to pilgrimages will resume from September 4.

According to the officers closely related to the scheme, the pilgrimage scheme was halted after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and floods in many parts of the country due to which IRCTC cancelled trains on several pilgrimage routes.

Around 2,000 people are expected to travel in this month. The next train, under the scheme which will commence from next month, will be to Amritsar. After this, pilgrimage on five other routes- Rameshwaram, Tirupati, Jagannathpuri, Vaishno Devi and Ajmer-Pushkar will follow.   

The scheme has been a hit with the senior citizens of the national capital.  Under the scheme, the government will bear the expenditure for all travellers, including air-conditioned train travel, accommodation, meals, boarding and lodging and other arrangements. Recently, Delhi government decided to expand the scheme to seven more routes.

In the latest additions, the longest route is Delhi-Rameshwaram-Madurai-Delhi, which takes eight days. According to the government around 77,000 senior citizens will benefit from the scheme every year.

The pilgrimage scheme, which commenced on 12 July, is the first fully paid pilgrimage for senior citizens aged above 60 years. The first trip was to the Delhi-Amritsar-Wagah Border-Anandpur Sahib route via train.

“Every senior citizen has the desire to go on a Tirth Yatra at least once. We are happy that we have had the good fortune to fulfill your wishes. This project is very close to my heart I will help all the senior citizen visit pilgrimage places” said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the launch of the scheme.  Delhi government approximately plans to send 77,000 people on a first-come-first-served basis. Each year 1,100 beneficiaries from each of the 70 assembly constituencies in Delhi will be sent on pilgrimage every year. 

Any citizen of the national capital who is 60 years or above in age can avail this scheme by acquiring a certificate from their local MLA stating that they live in the particular constituency can apply for the scheme. One attendant above the age of 21 years can accompany each traveller.

Seven new routes:

    Delhi-Rameshwaram-Madurai-Delhi for 8 days
    Delhi-Tirupati-Delhi for 7 days
    Delhi-Dwarkadhish-Nageshwar-Delhi for 6 days
    Delhi-Jagannath Puri-Konark- Bhubaneshwar-Delhi for 7 days
    Delhi-Shirdi-Shani Shinglapur-Delhi for 5 days
    Delhi-Ujjain Onkareshwar-Delhi for 6 days 

Delhi-Bodhgaya-Sarnath is yet to be added under the banner.

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