Delhi government to fund 77,000 senior citizens going on pilgrimages

The all-expenses-paid trip will be on five designated routes: Haridwar-Rishikesh-Neelkanth, Ajmer-Pushkar, Amritsar-Anantpur Sahib, Vaishnodevi-Jammu, Mathura-Vrindavan.

The Delhi Cabinet approved on Tuesday a new scheme for lower- and middle-class senior citizens to go on free religious pilgrimages.

Pilgrims at Darshni Darbar on their way to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Katra, about 45 kms from Jammu. (PTI File Photo)

Under the Mukhyamantri Teerthayatra Yojana, the Delhi government will select 77,000 devotees every year for an all-expenses-paid trip on five designated routes: Haridwar-Rishikesh-Neelkanth, Ajmer-Pushkar, Amritsar-Anantpur Sahib, Vaishnodevi-Jammu, Mathura-Vrindavan. At least 1,100 senior citizens, aged 60 and above, will be chosen from each of Delhi’s 70 assembly segments.

Pilgrims will be allowed to bring an attendant who is a relative of theirs and at least 18 years old, though the government is not sure how many it will be able to accommodate. “This may add to the number of people travelling under this scheme,” said an official from the Delhi tourism department who requested anonymity. “We are yet to estimate the exact number of attendants who will be allowed on this free trip.”

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the state tourism minister, said the pilgrims will travel in air-conditioned buses. “The government will bear all the expenses including the hotel cost, breakfast, lunch and an insurance of Rs 2 lakh for each pilgrim and an accompanying relative,” he said after the cabinet meeting.

The Delhi tourism official explained how the new program will work. “The selection of pilgrims will be done through a draw of lots, and the local MLA will have to certify the residents as belonging to Delhi. All other modalities will be specified soon in the final notification.” The government did not offer any other details about when the program would go into effect.

The tours will take three days and two nights, and will cover all the sites of religious and spiritual significance on the designated routes. “Through this scheme, we have tried to cover all religions, in line with our government’s pluralistic approach,” said a Delhi government spokesperson.

The trips are expected to cost Rs 7,000 per pilgrim. The government estimates the total annual expense will be Rs 53 crore.

The applicants must be a resident of Delhi and they cannot be employed by the central, state or local government. Sisodia said that pilgrims will probably be limited to one trip every three or five years.

Application forms will be filled out and filed online. They will be sent to either the Office of the Divisional Commissioner, the office of the appropriate MLA, or the office of Tirth Yatra Committee.