Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann Flag Off 15 Pilgrimage Buses From Hoshiarpur
Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann flagged off 15 buses carrying pilgrims from Hoshiarpur on Wednesday under the Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojana. The buses departed from Hoshiarpur carrying devotees from five districts—Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Pathankot, and Gurdaspur—to religious sites across Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
The scheme has been expanded to cover three new routes: Salasar and Khatu Shyam Ji in Rajasthan, Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, and Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. It previously operated on two routes in Punjab, covering Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi.
Under the initiative, permanent residents of Punjab aged 50 years or above are eligible to travel, with up to two family members permitted per household. Applicants must be physically and mentally fit, with no restrictions based on income, caste, or religion. The Punjab government bears all travel, stay, and food expenses.
Pilgrims are provided air-conditioned buses, accommodation in air-conditioned hotels, complimentary breakfast and dinner, and medical insurance for treatment at empanelled hospitals during emergencies. Each bus includes an attendant, and dedicated teams are deployed at each destination. Applications can be submitted online via the Connect Punjab Portal or offline through district administration offices and local representatives with proof of age and residency.
Kejriwal stated that a total of 1.5 lakh people from Punjab will be taken to pilgrimage destinations in the coming months. Under Phase 1 of the scheme, over 4 lakh pilgrims visited sites including the Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple, and Bhagwan Valmiki Mandir in Amritsar, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, and Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.
Following the flag-off ceremony, Kejriwal and Mann attended the "Ek Sham Bhagwan Shiv Ke Naam" devotional event at the Dussehra ground, where singer Kailash Kher led the congregation.
