For the first time ever in India, 32 senior citizens were provided with free air travel facility for pilgrimage by Madhya Pradesh as the state's first to fly from Bhopal to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh on 21 May, 2023.
This is the first time that a group of 32 senior citizens are travelling under the state's 'Mukhyamantri Tirth-Darshan Yojana,' which was flagged off by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport on May 21st, 2023.
This scheme was launched by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime in 2012 so that senior citizens would be sent for pilgrimage free of cost by special trains.
The group of senior citizens comprised of 24 men and eight women. The senior citizens from MP will travel by air till July from various airports of the state.
"It's a dream for every person to fly by air. Everybody wishes to travel by air at least once in his lifetime. Our dream is being fulfilled," 72-year-old Ram Singh Kushwaha tells NDTV.
"As per the new plan under this scheme, eligible beneficiaries from 25 districts (out of the total 52 in the state) will be taken on pilgrimages to various destinations by aeroplanes between May 21 and July 19," Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Home, Dr Rajesh Rajora said on Friday.
In order to make the most of the plan from May to July, different groups will fly for their pilgrimage tour. On May 23, pilgrims of the Agar-Malwa district will leave from Indore airport for Shirdi.
On May 25, pilgrims of Betul district will be leaving from Bhopal airport for Mathura-Vrindavan. Another group of senior citizens will leave on May 26 from Dewas for Shirdi. While on June 3, the pilgrims will leave from Khandwa from Indore airport via Kolkata for Gangasagar.
7, 82,000 senior citizens have taken a pilgrimage tour in 782 special trains under the Mukhyamantri Tirth-Darshan Yojana until now. Whilst the first time ever a bath of older people to travel by air for a pilgrimage.
After seeing off the travellers, the Chief Minister said that he has fulfilled a resolution today. "A resolution has been fulfilled today. A dream has come true. Elderly people like my parents are going on pilgrimage by airplane," he said.
Another traveller, Ramdas, says that this is the first time he is going outside the state.
With the assembly elections being scheduled in Madhya Pradesh to be held later this year, the ruling BJP government is certainly attempting to sway different sections of citizens.
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