Delhi: 20,000 go on free pilgrimage in four months

NEW DELHI: Till date, around 20,000 people have undertaken free pilgrimage under Delhi government’s Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra scheme, which was launched in July by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.


Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram, the farthest point among the destinations, has emerged as the most preferred destination among senior citizens who are turning up in large numbers from different parts of the city to avail the benefits of the scheme.

The scheme, which is absolutely free, aims to send 77,000 residents of Delhi who are above 60 years on pilgrimage to any of the 12 popular destinations. It was launched with five routes — Delhi-Mathura-Vrindavan-Agra-Fatehpur Sikri-Delhi, Delhi-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Neelkanth-Delhi, Delhi-Ajmer-Pushkar-Delhi, Delhi-Amritsar-Wagha Border-Anandpur Sahib-Delhi, and Delhi-Vaishno Devi-Jammu-Delhi.

Considering its popularity, the government has included more destinations — Delhi-Rameshwaram-Madurai-Delhi, Delhi-Tirupati-Delhi, Delhi-Dwarkadhish-Nageshwar-Delhi, Delhi-Jagannath Puri-Konark-Bhubaneswar-Delhi, Delhi-Shirdi-Shani Shinglapur-Delhi and Delhi-Bodh Gaya-Sarnath.

Five trains full of passengers have gone to Rameshwaram, three each to Amritsar, Vaishno Devi and Tirupati, two to Dwarkadhish and one to Shirdi and Ujjain. Kamal Bansal, chief of Delhi Tirth Yatra Vikas Samiti, said most applicants were coming for the Rameshwaram-Madurai and Tirupati routes, both eight-day trips. “The majority of them are not from south India,” said Bansal.

The only criterion for availing the scheme is that the person should be a resident of Delhi. Most of the senior citizens above 70 years are accompanied by an attendant, aged 21 or above, and that person’s expenses are also borne by the government. The scheme doesn’t have any income criterion.

The applicants are required to fill up online forms at www.editstrict.delhigovt.nic.in along with a copy of the voter ID card, a self-declaration as per proforma, certificate regarding proof of residency from the area MLA and a medical certificate.

“The pilgrimage is also an opportunity for these senior citizens to celebrate their lives. Many friends go together and enjoy the experience. All of them return to Delhi with a lot of blessings and good wishes for Delhi government,” said Bansal.

The scheme may also benefit Aam Aadmi Party in the election year. In the party’s local-level meetings for the upcoming assembly polls, the senior citizens who have availed the benefits talk highly of the government, said a source.