Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai today flagged off the first special pilgrimage train from Raipur Railway Station for Tirupati, Madurai and Rameswaram by cutting the ribbon.

Raipur: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday March 27, 2025 flagged off the first special pilgrimage train for Tirupati, Madurai and Rameswaram from Raipur Railway Station. 780 elderly devotees from Raipur and Balodabazar-Bhatapara districts participated in this first pilgrimage train, for whom this journey became not only a religious experience but also a symbol of respect and affection. The long-standing desire of the elderly of the state was fulfilled on the day when Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai formally launched the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana.

Chief Minister Sai, while having a cordial conversation with the elderly people going on pilgrimage, said that the happiness on the faces of all of you is my satisfaction. He said that in Rameswaram, you people will be able to see the holy Ram Setu, you will be able to see the Jyotirlinga. You people will also visit Madurai pilgrimage where there is Meenakshi temple. You will see Balaji in Tirupati. This is a beautiful opportunity to see the pilgrimage places of South India.

Chief Minister Sai said that under the Chief Minister Ramlala (Ayodhya Darshan) Yojana in the state, so far more than 22 thousand devotees have visited Shri Ramlala in Ayodhya.

Chief Minister said that Maha Kumbh was organised in Prayagraj after 144 years. Pilgrims from Chhattisgarh also participated in Kumbh in large numbers. To serve the pilgrims of Chhattisgarh and to take care of their convenience, we had prepared Chhattisgarh Pavilion in Prayagraj Mela area. Here, there were arrangements for the stay of pilgrims in about four and a half acres. It is our good fortune that we could serve lakhs of devotees of the state who came to take bath in Ganga ji.

Chief Minister Sai said that now the pilgrimage of devotees will continue under the Chief Minister’s Tirtha Darshan Yojana. He said that we have made a budget provision of Rs 15 crore for this scheme. Many pilgrimage places like Ujjain, Puri, Dwarka, Vaishno Devi, Mathura, Vrindavan have been included in this scheme, which will be provided free of cost.

Chief Minister Sai said on this occasion that the desire of our elders to go on pilgrimage often remained unfulfilled due to financial difficulties. He said that we are satisfied that we are able to fulfill their wish. He told that widows and abandoned women have also been included in the scheme, so that they can also get the honor of visiting religious places. He clarified that his government is fully dedicated to the upliftment of every section of the society including youth, farmers, women and tribal community and is continuously working in this direction.

This is not just a pilgrimage, it is a confluence of culture and faith – Minister Laxmi Rajwade

Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Rajwade said that the Chief Minister’s Tirth Darshan Yojana is not just a pilgrimage, but a living symbol of our eternal culture, traditions and religious faith. She said that under this scheme, those devotees will get this opportunity, who have been deprived of pilgrimage till now due to financial limitations. The government has prepared a full-fledged package for the devotees, which includes all the necessary arrangements like train travel, accommodation of passengers, food, temple darshan, security and medical care. A team of tour escorts, police force and doctors are also traveling with them in the special train so that the devotees feel safe and comfortable at every moment. Under the scheme, 19 major pilgrimage areas across the country have been included, which include major religious places like Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Puri, Haridwar, Kashi, Shirdi, Vaishnodevi, Amritsar, Dwarka, Bodh Gaya, Kamakhya Temple, Sabarimala.

Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Rajwade said that the Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana was started on December4, 2012 during the tenure of former Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh. Between 15 January 2013 and 10 June 2019, 2,46,983 devotees were benefited through a total of 272 pilgrimages under this scheme. During the tenure of the previous government, this scheme was not in operation for 5 years. This scheme, which was operated during the government of Dr. Raman Singh, was closed by the government that came after it, has now been restarted by the present government, and by restarting it, the present government has once again taken the initiative to fulfill the faith, belief and long cherished dream of pilgrimage of the elders in Chhattisgarh.

On this occasion, MLAs Purandar Mishra, Motilal Sahu, Anuj Sharma, Social Welfare Commissioner Bhuvnesh Yadav, Director Roktima Yadav, Raipur Collector Dr. Gaurav Singh, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vishwadeep, Raipur DRM Dayanand, officers and employees of Social Welfare and Railway Department and a large number of citizens were present.

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