BHUBANESWAR/NABARANGPUR : Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday launched the Shree Jagannath Darshan Yojana (SJDY) at Nabarangpur, to help elderly and economically-weaker sections undertake a pilgrimage to Puri.
The scheme will cover 5,000 beneficiaries this year and aims to facilitate darshan of Lord Jagannath at Puri for one lakh devotees over the next four years. Beneficiaries will travel to Puri in AC buses, stay at Brundavati Nivas and receive Mahaprasad.
The scheme was launched simultaneously at five places which include Nabarangpur, Sambalpur, Bhadrak, Baripada and Berhampur. As many as 100 beneficiaries each from these five places, along with escorts, left for Puri on Friday in the first phase of implementation.
Launching the scheme, the chief minister said that the government will bear the cost of the visit of these people, which will enhance their spiritual and cultural well-being. He observed that financial constraints and family issues often prevent economically weaker and elderly citizens from undertaking the pilgrimage.
Majhi said that the scheme has been launched to ensure that such people get the opportunity to have darshan of Lord Jagannath at least once in their lifetime. Stressing that people are considered as the centre of governance, he said that fulfilling citizens’ hopes and aspirations is the government’s foremost duty.
“The innovative scheme has been launched to meet the unfulfilled religious desire of the people from economically weaker sections of society. The government will take the elderly and widowed women to the shrine with respect and arrange hassle-free darshan for them,” the chief minister added.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida said, “Everybody has desire to visit Puri and have darshan of Lord Jagannath in their lifetime. The government has fulfilled this desire of the people by launching the scheme.”
The programme will be jointly implemented by the state’s tourism and transport departments. Beneficiaries from 21 districts will be provided night-halt arrangements in Puri, while devotees from eight coastal districts will undertake a day tour to the temple.