Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced here on Wednesday that the Delhi cabinet has decided to add Ayodhya to the list of pilgrimage sites under the ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana’.
The scheme, which provides free pilgrimage facilities for senior citizens living in the capital, was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will start within a month, he said.
The announcement has been made ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, which are likely to be held early next year. The Delhi government is also preparing to telecast the Diwali celebrations live under the leadership of Mr. Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues.
Advertisements for the programme, in which Mr Kejriwal invites citizens to join him remotely from their homes, have been running on various media, including radio and TV news channels.
Hearty greetings on the occasion of Deepawali. We will welcome Lord Ram together – but we will not burst crackers, we will not pollute,” Mr. Kejriwal says in the ‘Delhi ki Diwali’ ad. “We all 2 crore Delhiites will do Diwali puja together at 7 pm, please your Join the worship from homes… May our Delhi always enjoy the grace of Lord Ram. Jai Shri Ram,” concluded the Chief Minister.
‘Shravan Kumar’ pledge
After a cabinet meeting, Mr Kejriwal said in a digital briefing that he had resolved to follow in the footsteps of ‘Shravan Kumar’, a mythological figure from the Ramayana, who took his parents on a pilgrimage. “I am extremely happy to inform the people of Delhi that we have approved the proposal to add Ayodhya as a destination under Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana,” he said.
Under the scheme, the Delhi government bears the entire cost of the pilgrimage, which includes travel by air-conditioned trains, accommodation in AC hotels, food, local travel and much more. There is also a provision to take a young man as an attendant to help the elderly in their journey. Delhi government also bears the expenses of the attendant.
At present, there are 12 itineraries. The route will be the 13th in the four-day Delhi-Ayodhya-Delhi itinerary.
“Till now, 35,000 people have made the pilgrimage under the scheme. Today, I am very happy as I had the privilege of having darshan of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya yesterday (Tuesday),” the Chief Minister said.
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