Elderly people can visit shrines
Rajasthan government will organize pilgrimage for senior citizens above 60 years of age. Applications for Senior Citizen Pilgrimage-2024 have also been started. The pilgrimage will have the facility of traveling by train and air. 30 thousand passengers will be able to complete this journey by train and 600 passengers will be able to complete this journey by air. Elderly spouses can also benefit from this government scheme. Last date to apply for this scheme is 19th September. Only elders who are natives of Rajasthan can avail the benefit of this scheme. The government will bear the travel, accommodation and food expenses for this yatra. That means this facility will be completely free for the pilgrims.
Train travel was introduced for the scheme in 2013, while air travel was also added from 2016. The government’s objective behind this scheme is to enable senior citizens living in Rajasthan to travel to the destinations included in the scheme throughout their life. Which includes the pilgrimage sites of the country and abroad.
Where can trips be made?
Through this scheme, senior citizens traveling by train will be able to travel via Rameswaram-Madurai, Jagannathpuri, Tirupati, Jagannathpuri-Somnath, Vaishnodevi-Amritsar, Prayagraj-Varanasi, Mathura-Vrindavan, Barsana, Sammedashikhara-Pavapuri-Baidyanath, Ujjeshwaram, Ujjeshwaram-Madurai. Gangasagar, Kamakhya, Haridwar-Rishikesh-Ayodhya, Mathura-Ayodhya, Bihar-Sharif, Velkani Church (Tamil Nadu). Pashupatinath and Kathmandu in Nepal can be visited by air travel.
Who can travel?
To avail the benefit of Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme 2024, the traveler must be a native of Rajasthan. The passenger must have been born before April 1, 1964, meaning only senior citizens who are 60 years of age or above can apply for travel. None of the passengers applying should be income tax payers. While undertaking this travel, before applying, they have to submit a self-declaration letter stating that they have not done this type of travel before, only then they can apply for this scheme.
Will be selected by lottery
Elders will be selected for this trip through a lottery system. Through the lottery system, those who have completed this Yatra earlier will not be eligible for this Yatra. Also, there will be no option to choose how to complete this journey. If a passenger has applied for this, but is not eligible to travel as per the rules given, if the number of passengers is less, the ineligible passengers will be given the opportunity.
How do I apply?
To go on this yatra, one can apply by visiting the link provided on the portal of the Devasthanam department. Applications for this tour can be submitted online only. For senior citizens applying, their Aadhaar card is required. During the application, an option is also given to select the pilgrimage places of your choice, you can travel to the given pilgrimage places according to your choice and convenience.
