Bhubaneswar, Odisha : The first train under the Senior Citizens’ Pilgrimage Scheme for the 2025-26 financial year departed from Bhubaneswar Railway Station today, taking 775 senior citizens along with 25 escort officials from six districts towards Ayodhya and Varanasi. The journey began under the guidance of Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, with coordination between the Tourism Department, IRCTC, and Khordha district administration.
Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Smt. Pravati Parida extended her best wishes, hoping that the pilgrimage from Lord Shri Lingaraj Temple to Kashi Vishwanath Dham would be a blessed journey. She highlighted that participants would have the opportunity to seek blessings at Ayodhya’s sacred sites, view Lord Shri Ram Lal, and experience the spiritual ambiance of Kashi Vishwanath Temple along with the Ganga Arati and ghats.
The scheme aims to provide nearly 8,000 senior citizens with the chance to visit various prominent pilgrimage destinations across India in ten phases during 2025-26, promoting cultural engagement and spiritual enrichment.
Deputy Chief Minister Smt. Parida and Minister Shri Kanak Bardhan Singh Deo, along with Ministers Shri Sampad Charan Swain, and MLAs Shri Babu Singh, Shri Sunil Mahanti, Shri Ganeshwar Behera, Shri Ashrit Pattnaik, Shri Om Prakash Mishra, Shri Durga Prasanna Nayak, and Khordha District Collector Shri Amrit Ruturaj, participated in the flag-off ceremony and conveyed their best wishes to the pilgrims. Tourism Department Additional Secretary Shri Rudra Narayan Das offered the vote of thanks.
From the six participating districts, senior citizens included 169 from Khordha, 127 from Puri, 197 from Cuttack, 85 from Jagatsinghpur, 89 from Kendrapara, and 108 from Dhenkanal. Participants traveled aboard the “Bharat Gaurav” train, covering a spiritual route towards Ayodhya and Varanasi, ensuring a safe and culturally enriching pilgrimage experience.
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