Punjab: Yogi govt announces ₹10k aid for Sikh, Buddhist pilgrims

Sikh devotees from Uttar Pradesh will receive financial assistance to visit the five holy Takht Sahib sites across India, says

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday directed officials to launch two new pilgrimage assistance schemes—Panch Takht Yatra Yojana and Buddhist Tirtha Darshan Yojana—to facilitate spiritual travel for Sikh and Buddhist devotees, the state government said in a statement.

Under Panch Takht Yatra Yojana and Buddhist Tirtha Darshan Yojana schemes, devotees will receive a minimum grant of ₹10,000 per person. (HT File)

In a review meeting, Adityanath said pilgrimages are a means of spiritual upliftment and social harmony, and it is the government’s responsibility to assist citizens in reaching places associated with their faith.

The Panch Takht Yatra Yojana will enable Sikh devotees from Uttar Pradesh to visit the five holy Takht Sahib sites—Anandpur Sahib (Rupnagar district in Punjab), Akal Takht Sahib (Amritsar, Punjab), Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo, Punjab), Takht Sachkhand Shri Hazur Sahib (Nanded, Maharashtra), and Harmandir Sahib (Patna Sahib, Bihar).

Similarly, under the Buddhist Tirtha Darshan Yojana, financial assistance will be provided to Buddhist devotees, especially monks, to visit key pilgrimage sites across India.

Under both schemes, devotees will receive a minimum grant of ₹10,000 per person.

The chief minister directed that the application process be kept entirely online, with priority given to people from economically weaker sections. The schemes will be operated in collaboration with IRCTC.