RailEnquiry

In order to help senior citizens go on pilgrimage, the first train under the Mukhya Mantri Tirth Darshan Yojana (Chief Minister's Pilgrimage Scheme) will depart for Shri Rameshwaram from Habibganj railway station here on September 3.A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), which is a central undertaking, on August 8 in this regard, an official release said today.The train would depart at 1730 hrs on September 3 and will carry only pilgrims from Bhopal and Narmadapuram divisions. A circular to this effect has already been issued to collectors concerned.Elderly persons, who are 60 years or above and are not income tax payee, can avail the benefit under the scheme, which was launched at Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's initiative.A person can avail the benefit only once in his or her lifetime.The centres of pilgrimage notified under the scheme are Shri Badrinath, Shri Kedarnath, Shri Jagannath Puri, Shri Dwarkapuri, Haridwar, Amarnath, Vaishno Devi, Shirdi, Tirupati, Ajmer Sharif, Kashi (Varanasi), Gaya, Amritsar, Rameshwaram, Sammed Shikhar, Shravanabelagola and Velankanni Church, Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu).The train would start from Bhopal and return back to Bhopal.The beneficiaries would be selected by district collectors and their list would be provided to the Director (Mukhya Mantri Tirth Darshan Yojana).A copy of the list would be made available to Bhopal office of the IRCTC, which will be responsible for conducting the journey from Bhopal and back besides making arrangements for food, breakfast, tea, lodging and carrying them to centres of pilgrimage by bus and back to the train as well as a guide.A total of 1,000 birth would be available on the Rameshwaram-bound first train. Of these, 984 would be meant for the pilgrims and 16 for 16 government officers-employees accompanying them. The rules under the scheme have already been notified in the extraordinary gazette.A desirous person can make an application to the nearest tahasil/sub-tahasil or other prescribed place in the prescribed 'pro forma' to avail the benefit under the scheme for pilgrimage to a centre of his or her choice within the prescribed time limit.The beneficiaries would be selected out of the applications received and in case of excess application the selection would be made through computerised lottery draw. A waiting list of ten persons would also be prepared.The government has made arrangements for annual budget provision for the scheme and a fund has also been created for this purpose.