Pilgrimage scheme train to Ayodhya flagged off from Pune

PUNE Under the chief minister’s pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens, the first batch of 800 citizens left Pune for Ayodhya on Thursday. The state government announced the scheme in June this year.

Vishal Londhe, social welfare commissioner, flagged off the special train in the presence of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) general manager Gaurav Zaa. Pune district guardian minister Ajit Pawar attended the event through video conferencing.

While announcing this scheme, the chief minister had said, “There are thousands of senior citizens who want to go on pilgrimage such as ‘Char Dham’ yatra (tour of four holy sites- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath) among others but are deprived of it owing to their weak financial position. The state government will make it possible for them by sending them on pilgrimage at our own expense.”

Under the scheme, senior citizens belonging to Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist religions will be sent to pilgrimage sites using funds from the state exchequer.