CM Eknath Shinde
– Photo: PTI
Expansion
The Maharashtra government has started work to facilitate free pilgrimage to senior citizens above 60 years of age under the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana. They have identified 73 religious places across the country and 66 in Maharashtra for the benefit of the scheme.
The Maharashtra government has prepared a list of 139 religious places, including 73 across the country and 66 in the state, to provide free pilgrimage facilities to senior citizens above 60 years of age under the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana. In fact, last week, the state cabinet approved the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana. A government resolution (GR) detailing the scheme was also issued on Sunday. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had announced this scheme in the Assembly.
The pilgrimage sites include major religious places like Vaishno Devi Temple, Amarnath Caves, Golden Temple in Amritsar, Char Dham Yatra, Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Somnath Temple in Dwarka and Jagannath Puri in Odisha. Apart from this, religious places in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka as well as important Buddhist and Jain sites are also included. At the same time, 15 religious places in Mumbai, Maharashtra are also in this list. These include Siddhivinayak Temple, Chaityabhoomi (associated with BR Ambedkar), Vipassana Pagoda, a synagogue, Mount Mary Church and St. Andrews Church in Bandra, apart from Jain temple in Nashik and Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Ambedkar adopted Buddhism.
Let us tell you that eligible persons with annual income up to Rs 2.5 lakh are entitled to Rs 30,000 to cover travel, accommodation and food expenses. Applicants above 75 years of age are allowed to take a spouse or attendant along. A 17-member committee has been set up to monitor and review the scheme at the state level, including a seven-member panel at the district level, including the Assistant Commissioner of the Social Justice Department as the Member Secretary. The Commissioner of the Social Justice Department at the state level will act as the nodal officer.