Chandigarh: More than 1.3 lakh pilgrims have participated in Punjab’s free pilgrimage scheme, revenue minister Hardeep Singh Mundian has announced on Tuesday. The state-funded Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra Yojana covers all travel, lodging, and medical costs for residents aged 50 and above.The second phase launched in Oct 2025 to honour the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur has already benefited more than 97,000 devotees across almost 2,500 trips. The Bathinda cluster led participation with more than 46,000 pilgrims, followed by Ludhiana, Mohali, and Amritsar. This phase focuses on heritage sites like the Golden Temple and the Partition Museum.The programme’s first phase in late 2023 transported 35,500 people to religious landmarks such as Hazur Sahib and Ajmer Sharif. Minister Mundian said this scheme open to all religions and castes had allowed cheaper pilgrimages to both local shrines and distant temples in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Ends MSID:: 130579646 413 |
