Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], March 11 (HBTV): The Haryana government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to facilitate free train travel for eligible senior citizens to various pilgrimage destinations under the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana, officials said on Tuesday.
The MoU was signed by Director General of the Information, Public Relations and Languages Department K Makarand Pandurang on behalf of the Haryana government and Circle Regional Manager (CRM) of IRCTC Harjot Singh Sandhu.
Pandurang said the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana was launched to enable eligible elderly residents of the state to undertake free visits to major religious sites.
He said that under the scheme, thousands of senior citizens from different districts have already been taken to pilgrimage destinations, including Ayodhya, through Volvo buses operated by the Haryana Transport Department.
Following directions from Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the state government has now decided to expand the initiative by arranging pilgrimage visits by train, he said.
Pandurang added that under the agreement with IRCTC, devotees from Haryana will be taken to several major pilgrimage destinations, including Ayodhya, Varanasi, Patna Sahib, Nanded Sahib, Pushkar Ji, Vaishno Devi, Shirdi, and Shani Shingnapur. Additional destinations may also be included in the future.
According to officials, each train will consist of 11 coaches, of which 10 will be reserved for devotees and one coach will be allocated for staff.
The Haryana government will provide food and beverages during the journey, as well as transportation from the nearest railway station to the pilgrimage sites and accommodation, free of cost.
Under the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana, senior citizens aged 60 years and above from Haryana with an annual income of less than INR 1.80 lakh are eligible to avail the free pilgrimage tours by registering on the official portal.
(ANI)