PANJIM: The senior citizens will get a one-time free opportunity to visit sacred holy places outside Goa as well as some of the famous pilgrimage sites within the State, as State government notifies ‘Mukhyamantri Dev Darshan Yatra Yojana’.
The scheme, to be implemented through the social welfare department, was announced by the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant in his Budget 2021-22, in April, this year. Only those citizens, who are residing in the State for 15 years and more and annual income below three lakhs, would be eligible to avail the benefit of the scheme.
The notification comes a week after; Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced government-sponsored pilgrimages, if Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) voted to power in 2022 election. However, the statement was objected by the Goa Chief Minister who called Kejriwal a “copy master” for copying his scheme and passing it off as his own.
Director Social Welfare Umeshchandra Joshi in a notification issued on November 9, has said due to the economical condition the wishes of some people to visit scared religious places remain unfulfilled.
“The scheme envisages providing one-time travel assistance on pilgrimage in a life time to senior citizens to visit sacred holy places outside Goa as per the itineraries decided by the Government from time to time,” the notification stated.
The pilgrimage will be sent under (IRCTC) package as per MOU signed by the Government with IRCTC. The pilgrimage tour will be conducted for a group of not less than 750, outside Goa.