Delhi Cabinet approves higher grants for Kanwar camps
The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved an increase in financial assistance for Kanwar camps across all categories for Kanwar Yatra 2026, with large camps spread over more than 20,000 square feet and operating for six to twelve days now eligible for up to Rs 15 lakh, up from the earlier Rs 11 lakh. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta made the announcement of the increase in grant following the Cabinet meeting chaired by her at the Delhi Secretariat.
The Government cited the growing number of devotees, the need to provide them with better facilities, and the rising cost of running the camps as the reasons for the enhanced assistance across all camp categories. The existing provision of free electricity of up to 1,200 units for Kanwar committees will also continue.
The Chief Minister said the decision ensures that Kanwar committees receive adequate support to provide better, safer, and well-organised facilities to devotees, with the enhanced amounts reflecting both rising operational costs and the expanding scale of the annual pilgrimage. The government also confirmed that all existing arrangements for the Kanwar Yatra will continue, including coordination among various departments, the single-window system, sanitation, drinking water, healthcare services, mobile toilets, uninterrupted power supply, security arrangements, and traffic management.
The number of Kanwar camps in Delhi has grown significantly in recent years, rising from 170 in 2024 to 308 in 2025. The Kanwar Yatra, during which lakhs of devotees travel to collect holy Ganga water from Haridwar and other sacred sites and carry it back to Lord Shiva temples, is one of the largest annual religious pilgrimages passing through Delhi. The camps set up by Kanwar Samitis along the routes provide devotees with food, water, rest, medical assistance, and other services over the days of the Yatra.
The grant disbursement process for camps, as decided earlier, will be handled directly by District Magistrate offices without requiring separate Finance Department approval, ensuring faster release of funds to Samitis ahead of the Yatra.
