Odisha CM flags off senior citizens’ pilgrimage train

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off a special pilgrimage train for senior citizens from Bhubaneswar Railway Station here on Thursday.

The Chief Minister wished the senior citizens a happy journey.

A total of 1024 senior citizens boarded the train on tour to Ajmer and Pushkar.

Speaking on the occasion, Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda said, “The pilgrimage train is a part of an initiative of the state tourism department under the Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana to help the elderly people make spiritual; journey to places of
religious importance.”

The Chief Minister had launched the Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana, a pilgrimage plan for senior citizens, in July last year.

Under the scheme, as many as 977 pilgrims from across 10 districts of the state had already visited places like Rameswaram, Madurai, Varanasi and Allahabad last year.

Among others, Women and Child Development Minister Prafulla Samal, MLAs Priyadarshi Mishra andBijay Mohanty, BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena and Tourism Secretary Mona Sharma were present.