In a major initiative to reach out to elderly people (above the age of 60) living in the national Capital, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday decided to offer free pilgrimage trips to them.
Although the Government has not announced the date from which the trips will begin, but it is expected to start soon, said an official, adding that the Delhi Government will fund the travel, stay, and food expenses of eligible senior citizens. Each trip will be for three days and two nights and 1,100 people will be selected from each Assembly constituency for the trips in a year, he said.
Elderly selected for the scheme will be allowed to be accompanied by an attendant above 18 years of age, whose expenditure will also be funded by the Government. “The applicant should not have an income above Rs 3 lakh per annum and s/he should not be an employee of Central/State/local Government or autonomous bodies,” a statement issued by the Delhi Government official said.
The major pilgrim destinations from which citizens can choose are Delhi-Mathura-Vrindavan-Agra-Fatehpur Sikri-Delhi; Delhi-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Neelkanth-Delhi; Delhi-Ajmer-Pushkar-Delhi; Delhi-Amritsar-Wagah Border-Anandpur Sahib-Delhi; and Delhi-Vaishno Devi-Jammu-Delhi.
Further in criteria section for this scheme, the Government has mentioned that the applicant will have to give a self-attested certificate that they have not availed the scheme in the past, “Those selected for pilgrimage will be covered with an insurance of Rs 2 lakh each and travel will be in A/C buses through coach tours of Delhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC),” said the statement.
All application forms will be available online and shall be filed online either through Office of Divisional Commissioner or office of respective MlA or office of Tirth Yatra Committee.
The selection of pilgrims will be done through draw of lots and respective area MlA will have to certify the residents as belonging to Delhi. All other modalities will be specified in the final notification, said the statement.