Bhubaneswar: A special train, the ‘Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana’, to Ujjain and Omkareswar was flagged off virtually Friday from Balasore by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. A total of 970 senior citizens from Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, and Keonjhar districts are travelling in the train. They are being accompanied by 30 escort officers. This is the sixth year of the ‘Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana’ train. The scheme was launched in 2016-17 by the Odisha government to enable the poor and deprived senior citizens of Odisha to visit the places of pilgrimage.
So far, 24 such trips have been organised in collaboration with IRCTC under this programme benefiting more than 23,669 senior citizens in the age group of 60 to 75 years. In the current financial year, 10 such trips have been planned. The Chief Minister in his message urged the pilgrims to seek blessings for their families, friends, and people of Odisha. “The ‘Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana’ is a testament to our values and commitment to providing a fulfilling and dignified life to our senior citizens,” said Patnaik. Expenses for travel, accommodation, food, healthcare, and other activities will be borne by the state government under this programme. Tourism Minister Aswini Kumar Patra, OTDC chairman Dr Lenin Mohanty, District Collector of Balasore, Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, BNTYY advisor Durga Prasad Samantaray and Additional Secretary Balamukunda Bhuyan were present during the flagging off ceremony.
