Raipur
Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai today flagged off the first special pilgrimage train from Raipur railway station to Tirupati, Madurai and Rameswaram. In this first pilgrimage train, 780 devotees from Raipur and Balodabazar-Bhatapara districts attended the elderly, for whom the yatra became not only religious experience, but became a symbol of respect and affection. The old age -old desire of the elders of the state was fulfilled today when Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai duly launched the Mukhyamantri Tirtha Darshan Yojana.
Chief Minister Sai, while discussing intimacy with the elders going on pilgrimage, said that the happiness on the face of all of you is my satisfaction. He said that in Rameswaram you will be able to see the holy Ram Sethu, you will be able to see Jyotirlinga. You will also see Madurai Tirtha where there is Meenakshi temple. Will see Balaji in Tirupati. This is a beautiful opportunity to see pilgrimage sites in South India.
Chief Minister Sai said that more than 22 thousand devotees have seen Ramlala in Ayodhya so far under Chief Minister Ramlala (Ayodhya Darshan) Scheme in the state.
Chief Minister Sai said that Mahakumbh was organized in Prayagraj after 144 years. Pilgrims of Chhattisgarh also participated in a large number of Kumbh. In order to serve the pilgrims of Chhattisgarh and to take care of their convenience, we had prepared Chhattisgarh Pavilion in the Prayagraj Mela area. There were arrangements to stop pilgrims on about four and a half acres. It is our good fortune that we can serve millions of devotees of the state who came to bathe in Ganga ji.
Chief Minister Sai said that now the journey of devotees will continue under the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana. He said that we have made a budget provision of Rs 15 crore for this scheme. In this scheme, many pilgrimage sites like Ujjain, Puri, Dwarka, Vaishno Devi, Mathura, Vrindavan have been added, which will be made for free.
Chief Minister Sai said on the occasion that the desire of our elders to pilgrimage often remained incomplete due to financial difficulties. He said that we are satisfied that we are able to realize his wish. He informed that widow and abandoned women have also been included in the scheme, so that they too will get the distinction of visiting religious places. He clarified that his government is fully dedicated to the upliftment of every section of the society including the youth, farmers, women and tribal communities and is continuously working in this direction.
This is not just a journey, the confluence of culture and reverence – Minister Smt. Lakshmi Rajwade
Social Welfare Minister Smt. Lakshmi Rajwade said that the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana is not only a pilgrimage, but a lively symbol of our eternal culture, traditions and religious faith. He informed that under this scheme, those devotees will get this opportunity, who have been deprived of pilgrimage till now due to economic boundaries. The government has prepared a complete facility for the devotees which includes all the necessary arrangements like train travel, stay, food, temple philosophy, safety and medicine. Tour escorts, police forces and teams of doctors are also traveling with them in the special train so that the devotees feel security and convenience every moment. The scheme includes 19 major pilgrimage areas across the country, including major religious places like Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Puri, Haridwar, Kashi, Shirdi, Vaishodevi, Amritsar, Dwarka, Bodh Gaya, Kamakhya Temple, Sabarimala.
Social Welfare Minister Smt. Lakshmi Rajwade said that the Chief Minister Tirtha Darshan Yojana was started on 4 December 2012 during the tenure of former Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh. Between 15 January 2013 to 10 June 2019, 2,46,983 devotees were benefited through a total of 272 pilgrimage under the scheme. The scheme was not in operation for 5 years during the tenure of the former government. The scheme, which was shut down by the government after the government of Dr. Raman Singh, has now started again to fulfill the dreams of the elders in Chhattisgarh, and to fulfill the dream of pilgrimage for years.
On this occasion, MLAs Purandar Mishra, Motilal Sahu, Anuj Sharma, Social Welfare Commissioner Bhuvanesh Yadav, Director Mrs. Raktima Yadav, Raipur Collector Dr. Gaurav Singh, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vishwadeep, Raipur DRM Dayanand, Social Welfare and Railway Department Officer-employees and a large number of citizens were present.
