Bhubaneswar: Voicing displeasure over the slow pace of collection of consent forms from people for selection of beneficiaries under Shri Jagannath Darshan Yojana (SJDY), Odisha’s Tourism Department has directed all district collectors to personally monitor and expedite the process.
The scheme, set to be launched soon, automatically identifies eligible beneficiaries—senior citizens aged 60–75 and widows up to 75 years under pension schemes—but requires mandatory consent for participation.
The state government has announced the scheme to facilitate economically weaker senior citizens and widows of all ages of Odisha in fulfilling their long-cherished dream of visiting the 12th century shrine.
The scheme provides organised, safe, and comfortable pilgrimage opportunities with a view of fostering spiritual enrichment, emotional satisfaction, and social harmony among the beneficiaries.
Despite earlier instructions to collect consent during pension distribution on January 15, 2026, progress has remained unsatisfactory in most districts.
Concerned over delays, the department has asked district administrations, District Social Security Officers (DSSOs), and Tourism Development Officers to take immediate action.
Tourism Director Deepankar Mohapatra said the scheme aims to benefit 5,000 people in FY 2025–26 and 30,000 in FY 2026–27. He urged collectors to personally oversee the process to ensure timely completion.
“In this context DoT has already had a brief interaction with District Social Security Officers (DSSOs) of all districts on 13.01.2026 to collect consents from each beneficiary on the pension distribution day on 15.01.2026 in respect of their concerned G.P. in order to become eligible to participate in the said scheme during the scheme period. However, collection of consent forms is not satisfactory in most of the districts,” the Tourism Director said in a letter to the district Collectors.
The consent requirement is crucial for smooth implementation of the scheme. Without it, beneficiaries cannot avail themselves of the scheme’s provisions. The department has already issued revised operational guidelines and held discussions with DSSOs earlier this month to streamline the process, officials said.
