Under the Chief Minister Teerth Yatra Scheme of the Kejriwal government, the 75th pilgrimage train left for Jagannath Puri on Friday with 780 senior citizens. A ‘Bhajan Sandhya’ was organized at the Tyagaraj Stadium for all the pilgrims. Revenue Minister Atishi met the pilgrims and handed over travel tickets and kits to them. While addressing the pilgrims, Ms Atishi said, “People of Delhi are fortunate to have a CM like Arvind Kejriwal, who is no less than Shravan Kumar for senior citizens of Delhi. So far, he has sent approximately 73,000 senior citizens on a pilgrimage through 74 trains from Delhi. It is his promise to organize a pilgrimage for every elderly person in Delhi.”
Revenue Minister gave her best wishes to the senior citizens leaving for Jagannath Puri and urged them to enjoy the journey and pray for the prosperity of Delhi and the country.
It is to be noted that under the CM Teerthyatra Scheme, the Delhi government has been organizing pilgrimages for its senior citizens to various pilgrimage sites across the country since past two to three years. In series of the same, on Friday evening a train departed from Safdarjung Railway Station for Jagannath Puri. Prior to this, a Bhajan Sandhya was organized at Thyagaraj Stadium by the Delhi government for senior citizens.
On this occasion, while interacting with the senior citizens Revenue Minister said, “Undertaking a pilgrimage is a highly virtuous deed. Throughout their lives, people work hard, take care of their families, and educate their children. Then comes a stage in life when they desire to devote time to spirituality and embark on a pilgrimage. Such moments of helping our elderly generation fulfill this dream bring us joy, even if we are unable to undertake the pilgrimage ourselves.”
She added due to various circumstances in life, many elderly individuals are unable to fulfill this desire. However, the residents of Delhi are fortunate to have CM Arvind Kejriwal as a son, who has taken the responsibility to send every elderly citizen of Delhi on a pilgrimage.
Revenue Minister Atishi stated that under this scheme, the Kejriwal government sends pilgrims through such trains, arranges accommodations in hotels, ensures timely meals, and sightseeing arrangements, and leaves no room for any inconvenience to the elderly citizens. She emphasized that as the son of Delhi’s senior citizens, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ensures that every aspect of the journey is well taken care of, and no situation arises where the people have to face any difficulties.
It is to be noted that under CM Teerthyatra Scheme, the Delhi government arranges visits to various pilgrimage sites, including Rameshwaram, Dwarkadhish, Somnath, Nageshwar, Jagannath Puri, Baba Mahakal, Shirdi, Thamkeswaram, Tirupati Balaji, Ayodhya, Mata Vaishno Devi, Pushkar, Fatehpur Sikri, Swarn Mandir in Amritsar, Kartarpur Sahib, Mathura-Vrindavan, and Haridwar, at its own expense. Eligible travelers can choose their preferred pilgrimage destination.
To participate in these journeys, all pilgrims need to apply through an online portal. After reviewing the applications, the Delhi government arranges well-equipped trains to facilitate travel to the desired pilgrimage sites. The government takes responsibility for transporting the pilgrims from their homes to the railway station and back. Additionally, they arrange local transportation from the railway station to the hotels and further to the pilgrimage sites. During the journey, the government ensures that all pilgrims stay in good hotels and provides meals and refreshments. Each pilgrim is also provided with a travel kit of essential items as part of the arrangements.
