Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and National Convener of the Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched the second phase of Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojna dedicated to 350th martyrdom anniversary of the Ninth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
In his address, the National Convener of AAP said that the state government led by Bhagwant Singh Mann has taken this path breaking initiative to serve the masses of the state. He said that a complete transparent process has been adopted to select the beneficiaries of the scheme through an open draw after the registration.
Arvind Kejriwal said that the Punjab government has taken this first of its unique initiative to ensure that people pay obeisance at the sacred places and fulfill their long pending wish.The National Convener of AAP said that a medical team will accompany the pilgrims throughout the journey to provide immediate assistance in case of any emergency.
He said that after the pilgrimage, prasad will be distributed among all devotees adding this scheme will be a boon for the people who can’t afford to pay visit at these places due to one or another reason. Arvind Kejriwal urged the people to pray for the progress, peace and prosperity of the state during their yatra to these religious places.
The National Convener of AAP said that Punjab is the sacred land of great Gurus, divine beings, saints, prophets, and martyrs who have preached the message of brotherhood, unity, and communal harmony. He said that to further strengthen the bond of social and religious unity, a humble initiative is being undertaken to facilitate pilgrimages for Punjabis to these holy shrines.
Arvind Kejriwal said that for those elders whose hearts have long yearned to visit these sacred sites, their wish will now be fulfilled.In his address, the Chief Minister said that the second phase of the Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojna has been launched to facilitate the people adding that around 16,000 pilgrims will be selected for this yatra from every assembly segment.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that devotees will be taken for visits to Sri Harmandir Sahib, Durgiana Temple, Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, Jallianwala Bagh, the Partition Museum, and other religious places in Amritsar. He said that under this scheme, citizens will be taken for visits to several other sacred sites across the state like Sri Anandpur Sahib and Mata Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh too.
The Chief Minister said that the scheme is open to people of all castes, religions, income groups, and regions adding the pilgrimage will include a three-day and two-night stay for devotees. He said that the devotees aged 50 years and above will be eligible to register for the pilgrimage adding that voter cards will be mandatory for registration.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that after registration, 40 pilgrims will be duly selected through a draw from each booth out of every 100 registered individuals adding that AC buses, AC hotel accommodation, and meals will be provided for the pilgrims and each bus will have an assistant to help the devotees.
The Chief Minister said that this scheme is in line with the teachings and philosophy of the great Guru sahibans who had given the message of universal love, brotherhood and peace to the people. He said that a large section of society in the state were not able to visit these sacred places across the country due to one reason or another adding that the state government is in touch with the Ministry of Railways for travelling to other states too.
However, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that now the state government has started this scheme to facilitate the pilgrims to visit the various holy places across the country and state.On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that the state government is fortunate that the Almighty has blessed it with the opportunity to perform this noble service of the masses.
He appealed to all devotees to actively participate in the various events, religious processions, and main programs being held across different districts and at Sri Anandpur Sahib, commemorating the martyrdom day of the Ninth Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government has already chalked out a detailed program to commemorate this historic occasion through a series of events.On the occasion Cabinet Ministers Hardeep Singh Mundian and Barinder Goyal, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia and others were also present.