By Express News Service
BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh on Sunday became the first state in the country to start free air service for elderly pilgrims belonging to the economically weaker section.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan saw the first batch of pilgrims off at the Bhopal Airport. The batch includes 24 male and 8 female pilgrims, all from Bhopal. The first flight is headed for Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The pilgrims will return to Bhopal on Monday evening.
The pilgrims praised Chouhan– many of them equating him with Shravana Kumara known for his filial piety towards his parents, and chanted religious slogans such as Har Har Gange, before the Indigo flight took off under the project, Mukhyamantri (CM) Tirth Darshan Yojana.
Currently, one member of each family is eligible to take this pilgrimage. Soon, measures will be taken to help more than one member of a family to take the journey, so that elders will get a chance to gain spiritual peace along with their spouses, Chouhan said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the government has ensured that “even those wearing ‘slippers’ will be able to travel by air.” This mission is an attempt to “make the PM’s vision true,” he said.
The scheme was launched in Madhya Pradesh in 2012. So far 7.82 lakh elderlies have gone on a pilgrimage in as many as 782 special trains.
A pilgrim, Siya Kumari Sharma (72), who, under the scheme, had visited Tirupati three years ago said, “I haven’t ever dreamt of flying in a plane. This visit to Prayagraj by air is like a dream come true, thanks to Shivraj Singh Chouhan.”
BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh on Sunday became the first state in the country to start free air service for elderly pilgrims belonging to the economically weaker section.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan saw the first batch of pilgrims off at the Bhopal Airport. The batch includes 24 male and 8 female pilgrims, all from Bhopal. The first flight is headed for Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The pilgrims will return to Bhopal on Monday evening.
The pilgrims praised Chouhan– many of them equating him with Shravana Kumara known for his filial piety towards his parents, and chanted religious slogans such as Har Har Gange, before the Indigo flight took off under the project, Mukhyamantri (CM) Tirth Darshan Yojana.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Currently, one member of each family is eligible to take this pilgrimage. Soon, measures will be taken to help more than one member of a family to take the journey, so that elders will get a chance to gain spiritual peace along with their spouses, Chouhan said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the government has ensured that “even those wearing ‘slippers’ will be able to travel by air.” This mission is an attempt to “make the PM’s vision true,” he said.
The scheme was launched in Madhya Pradesh in 2012. So far 7.82 lakh elderlies have gone on a pilgrimage in as many as 782 special trains.
A pilgrim, Siya Kumari Sharma (72), who, under the scheme, had visited Tirupati three years ago said, “I haven’t ever dreamt of flying in a plane. This visit to Prayagraj by air is like a dream come true, thanks to Shivraj Singh Chouhan.”
