After promising free pilgrimage to Ayodhya, Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal government has announced that it will provide free pilgrimage to Sikh and Christian communities from the national capital Delhi to Kartarpur Sahib and Velankanni, respectively. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has announced that the first batch of passengers for Kartarpur Sahib will leave on 5 January 2022 from Delhi in a deluxe bus. The first train to Velankanni will leave on 7 January 2022.
Office of Revenue Minister Kailash Gehlot said, “Recently Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had gone to Ayodhya and had the privilege of seeing Ramlala there. After this, on the orders of the Chief Minister, it was also included in the list of pilgrimages of the elders of Delhi. Recently, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the inclusion of Kartarpur Sahib and Velankanni in this list. After this, the Delhi government has included Kartarpur Sahib and Velankanni in addition to Ayodhya in the pilgrimage plan.
The statement further said, “Revenue Minister Kailash Gehlot on Friday reviewed the preparations for flagging off the train on the Delhi-Ayodhya-Delhi route along with the launch of Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojna. The first train to Ayodhya will be flagged off on 3 December.”
During the meeting, the Senior officials of the Revenue Department, IT Department, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), Pilgrimage Development Committee and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) were also present.
Conditions of travel
According to information received from the office, “Any person who is a resident of Delhi and has completed 60 years of age can apply under the scheme (MMTY), irrespective of his financial status. Also, an assistant of above 21 years can accompany senior citizens. A person can avail of this journey only once in a lifetime.
Application process
The Chief Minister Tirth Yatra Yojana was launched by Kejriwal on 12 July 2019. Under this scheme, the Delhi government provides free travel packages to senior citizens for pilgrimage from the national capital. A total of 1100 people per assembly constituency can avail of this facility in a year, which comes to a total limit of 77,000 passengers per year. The application for availing of benefits under the scheme can be submitted on the e-district portal of the Government of Delhi. Beneficiaries can travel through AC 3 Tier and AC 2X2 coaches.