Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana
Category: Social welfare & Empowerment
Level: State | State: Madhya Pradesh

Details:
The scheme “Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana” was launched by the Department of Religious Trusts and Endowments, Government of Madhya Pradesh in June 2012. Under the scheme, the state government provides one-time assistance to senior citizens above 60 years of age (2 years relaxation in case of women) of the state to visit a prescribed pilgrimage outside the state. In this scheme, free travel is made to senior citizens of the state to the identified pilgrimage site in the country. The pilgrims travel by special train, breakfast, food, and pure drinking water, arrangements for stay at pilgrimage places, travel by bus where necessary, and other facilities are made available by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) contracted with Religious Trusts and Endowments Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh. The scheme got underway on September 3, 2012, with a journey to Rameshwaram.
**Pilgrimages:**
At present, the State Government has selected Shri Badrinath, Shri Kedarnath, Shri Jagannath Puri, Shri Dwarka Ji, Haridwar, Amarnath, Vaishno Devi, Shirdi, Tirupati, Ajmer Sharif, Kashi, Amritsar, Rameshwaram, Sammed Shikhar, Shravan Belgola and Belangi Church, Nagapattinam as pilgrimages under the scheme.
**General Instructions which should be followed by the pilgrims during the journey:**

   1. It is mandatory to provide the mobile number and residential address of a concerned person in case of an emergency.
   1. The pilgrims should have good conduct during the journey.
   1. It is forbidden to carry inflammable substances and intoxicants during the journey.
   1. It is prohibited to take any valuable gems, jewellery etc. with you during the journey.
   1. It is necessary to follow the instructions of the Liaison Officer / Supervisor / Escort during the journey.
   1. Passengers are requested not to indulge in any such behaviour during the Yatra which tarnishes the image of the state.
   1. Passengers are expected to carry weather-appropriate clothing, woolen clothing, and personal items such as blankets, sheets, towels, soap, comb, shaving kit, medicines, etc.
   1. It is mandatory for the passengers to carry identity proof like Aadhaar Card/Voter Card along with them.
   1. The Covid protocol should be compulsorily followed during the journey.
   1. The state government or any of its officers/employees will not be responsible for any accident or difficulty that may occur during the Yatra.

Benefits:
The State Government provides one-time assistance in a lifetime to senior citizens above 60 years of age (2 years relaxation in case of women) to visit a prescribed pilgrimage outside the state.
In this scheme, senior citizens of the state are made to travel to the identified pilgrimage sites of the country free of cost.
The pilgrims travel by special train, breakfast, food, and pure drinking water, arrangements for stay at pilgrimage places, travel by bus where necessary, and other facilities are made available by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) contracted with Religious Trusts and Endowments Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Eligibility Criteria:
1. The applicant should be a native of Madhya Pradesh.
   1. The age of the male applicant should be 60 years or above.
   1. The age of the female applicant should be 58 years or above.
   1. There is no age limit for disabled citizens whose disability is more than 60%.
   1. If the husband and wife want to travel together, then if one of the spouses is eligible, the life partner can also go on the journey, even if his age is less than 60 years.
   1. The applicant should not be a taxpayer.
   1. The applicant should not have taken the benefit of Teerth Darshan Yojna earlier.
   1. The applicant should be physically and mentally fit for the journey and should not be suffering from any infectious disease like TB, congestive cardiac, obstructive respiratory disease, coronary insufficiency, coronary thrombosis, mental illness, infectious leprosy, etc. 

**Note 01:** Application can be made for pilgrimage by forming a group, the head of the group will be the main applicant, but such group will not exceed 25 persons.
**Note 02:** The applicant providing false information and hiding facts can be deprived of benefits under the scheme anytime.
**Note 03:** In order to travel, it is mandatory for the applicant to provide a medical certificate that he is physically and mentally fit and not suffering from any infectious disease.
**Note 04:** Single pilgrims above 65 years of age and 60% of disabled citizens are eligible to take a helper (Caretaker).