PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Haldwani
A group of 32 devotees started their pilgrimage to Gangotri Dham in Uttarkashi from Haldwani under the state government’s Matri-Pitru Tirtha Yatra Yojana on Tuesday.
The five-day pilgrimage was flagged off by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami from circuit house Haldwani. In a programme held on the occasion, the CM wished all the pilgrims a safe, pleasant and auspicious journey. Dhami said that the objective of the Matri-Pitru Tirtha Yatra Yojana, run by the State government for senior citizens, is to provide them with the opportunity to visit religious sites and to infuse spiritual peace and joy into their lives.
The group includes 19 women and 13 men and they will visit many religious sites located on the way to the Gangotri Dham. The State government will provide boarding and lodging facilities to these pilgrims at the rest houses of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam.
Kaladhungi MLA Banshidhar Bhagat, Bhimtal MLA Ram Singh Kaida, BJP district president Pratap Bisht, Kumaon commissioner Deepak Rawat, IG Riddhim Agarwal and others attended the ceremony.
