new delhi: The Delhi Cabinet on Wednesday approved the addition of Ayodhya to the list of pilgrim sites under the 'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana' — an initiative of the Delhi government.
The State government will now bear the cost of senior citizens visiting Ayodhya as part of pilgrimage with arrangements being made by the government. "I wish to be the Shravan Kumar for the elderly and help them fulfil their ardent yearning to complete their Tirth Yatra," Kejriwal said.
The list of pilgrimage already includes Jagannath-Puri, Ujjain, Shirdi, Amritsar, Vaishno Devi, Dwarkadhish, Tirupati, Rameswaram, Haridwar, Mathura and Bodh Gaya. Over 35,000 people have made pilgrimages under the Yojana till now which will resume in a month after the Covid
hiatus.
The CM added that officers have been working constantly to make arrangements.
The government had halted the scheme for the last 1.5-2 years, in light of the Covid-induced pandemic.
"I believe that all the officers are tirelessly making efforts to ensure that within the span of a month or so, arrangements for trains going to all the allotted shrines are resumed. And soon you can all begin your registrations," Kejriwal said.
After making the announcement the CM said that the government is eager to help elderly fulfil their yearning to complete their Tirth
Yatra.
"It gives me immense pleasure to inform the people of Delhi that we have approved a monumental proposal in today's Cabinet meeting, adding Ayodhya as one of the destinations under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna," he said.
Under the scheme for pilgrimages for the elderly the entire expense — travelling by air conditioned trains, AC hotel stays, meals, local travel and more — is borne by the State government. The elderly also have a provision to take an attendant to help them along their journey, which is also covered by the scheme.
The 'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana' was approved by the Delhi Cabinet in 2018 which helps the elderly — any citizen from the capital who is aged 60 years or more — can go on pilgrimages once. The Government facilitates the tours through the IRCTC, offering AC Trains and AC hotel rooms to the devotees. An insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh is also provided to look after the
devotees.
Eligible people can apply online through https://edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in/ or by visiting the office of the Divisional Commissioner, the office of the MLA of the area, or the office of the Tirth Yatra Committee.