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Amarnath yatra to commence on June 28
The annual Amarnath yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas will commence on June 28 and culminate, as per the tradition, on the day of Raskha Bandhan festival on August 22, officials said on Saturday
The annual Amarnath yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas will commence on June 28 and culminate, as per the tradition, on the day of Raskha Bandhan festival on August 22, officials said on Saturday.
A decision to this effect was taken at the 40th board meeting of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) chaired by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan here.
This year’s pilgrimage will be held as per standard operating procedures (SoPs) for Covid-19 stipulated by the government.
The registration process for the yatra would begin on April 1 through 446 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank and YES Bank in 37 states and union territories.
Live telecast of prayers
The SASB will enable the live telecast of morning and evening “Aarti” (prayers) for devotees across the globe. “The live telecast is a tool for virtual ‘Darshan’ for those who are unable to undertake the arduous Yatra,” a spokesperson said.
Moreover, the pilgrims can download the ‘Shri Amarnathji Yatra’ App available on the Google play store to get real time information about the Yatra and for availing several services online.
Daily pilgrim ceiling enhanced
The board also decided to enhance the daily route-wise pilgrims ceiling from 7,500 per day per route to 10,000, excluding yatris who would travel by helicopters. One of the highlights of this year’s yatra would be the introduction of free of cost battery car service up and down of the 2.75-km-long Baltal to Domel stretch.
L-G Sinha also directed for sending special invites to “Akhada Parishads, Acharya Parishads”, and exploring the possibility of establishing counters at prominent religious places across the country for facilitation of Sadhu and Sant Samaj. The board also approved the enhancement of remunerations for Pujaris from existing ₹1,000 per day to ₹1,500 per day for the next three years.
₹5 lakh group accidental cover
Moreover, as directed by the L-G in the January 5 preparatory meeting, the group accidental insurance cover for pilgrims, service providers was also enhanced from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh and for ponies from ₹30,000 to ₹50,000.
A discussion was also held on introducing RFID (radio frequency identification) tracking and prepaid hiring of services for putting in place a strengthened online digital system.
The board also advised the CEO to appeal to all potential pilgrims to consult their doctors before embarking on the pilgrimage. Also, no person below the age of 13 years and above 75 years shall be permitted to undertake the pilgrimage.
Appreciating the important services rendered by langar organisations, the board sought their continued support during the pilgrimage this year.
The board is issuing silver coins of 5 gm and 10 gm denomination through the Metal and Mineral Trading Corporation (MMTC). These coins would be sold to the pilgrims at the holy cave and at the offices of the Shrine Board during the Yatra.
