Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said the inspiration to organise pilgrimages for the elderly came from the story of Shravan Kumar, who carried his blind elderly parents on his shoulders for a pilgrimage.

It was stated by Kejriwal as he came to bid a ‘happy journey’ to elderly of Delhi whose journey commenced to Tirupati under ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana’.

The Chief Minister emphasised that he considers the two crore people of Delhi as his family, making it his duty and responsibility to facilitate pilgrimages for the elderly.

This is the 89th train departed under this plan from Delhi on Monday, carrying 780 elderly pilgrims to Tirupati Balaji. Prior to this, a devotional evening for the pilgrims was organised at Thyagaraj Stadium, where Kejriwal personally met with pilgrims, extended his wishes for a joyous and successful pilgrimage, and pilgrims expressed their gratitude.

During this journey, pilgrims will visit not only Tirupati Balaji but also Padmavati and ISKCON Temple.

At Thyagaraj Stadium, the Delhi Chief Minister was welcomed by Manju Balaji, the senior-most pilgrim, who embraced him and offered her blessings.

During the event, Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi was welcomed by the pilgrim Parvati. Kejriwal presented a symbolic ticket to pilgrim Premvati, wishing her a successful journey. The evening concluded with a presentation of devotional songs, enjoyed by all pilgrims.

On this occasion, Kejriwal mentioned that almost every week, a train departs from Delhi under the ‘Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana,’ taking elderly pilgrims to various pilgrimage sites across the country.

“Through this pilgrimage plan, our elderly have visited approximately 13 pilgrimage destinations, including Sri Rameswaram, Dwarkadhish, Puri, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Vrindavan, and Shirdi Baba. Pilgrims can choose any of these places based on their faith and embark on a pilgrimage. So far, 88 trains have left Delhi, and today marks the departure of the 89th train to Tirupati. Through these trains, nearly 84,000 pilgrims have returned after completing their pilgrimage,” he said.

“The inspiration to organize pilgrimages for the elderly came from the life of Shravan Kumar. Shravan Kumar carried his blind elderly parents on his shoulders for a pilgrimage, showcasing tremendous dedication. We have all heard his story since childhood, learning the virtue of facilitating pilgrimages for our elders. There is ‘Punya’ (merit) not only in undertaking a pilgrimage but also in organizing one,” the Chief Minister added.

Kejriwal said, “My effort is to ensure that every elderly person in Delhi goes on a pilgrimage at least once. We are not facing a shortage of resources for this. We will arrange whatever resources are needed. There is a shortage of trains. We use all the trains provided by the central government and send our elderly on pilgrimages.”