Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Flagged Off Spl.Train for Senior Citizens On Pilgrimage In Odisha’s Berhampur
Manoj Kanta Dash,Odishabarta
Berhampur,30/10/23:The Special Train under “Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana” was flagged off at Berhampur railway station in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Tuesday.
The train carrying 970 senior citizens from Ganjam, Gajapati, Boudh, Nayagarh and Kandhamal districts along with 30 escort officers will travel from Berhampur to Kanyakumari and Trivandrum. It will cover pilgrimage centres of Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.
This is the fifth year of Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra since its inception in 2016-17. The scheme was launched by state government to enable the poor and deprived senior citizens to go on pilgrimage. So far, 20 such trips have been organised in collaboration with IRCTC benefiting 19,644 senior citizens.
Inaugurating the trip virtually, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the pilgrims to seek blessings for family, 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. Our Mo Sarkar initiative ensures that this trip not only brings spiritual fulfilment to our senior citizens but also strengthens the national integration of different cultures and traditions,” he said.
Under this programme, the state government will bear the travel fare, accommodation, food, healthcare and other facilities.
Honorable Housing and Urban Development Minister Smt. Usha Devi, MP Berhampur Chandra Shekhar Sahu, MP Aska,Pramila Bisoyi, State Planning Board Committee Member Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, MLA Bikram Kumar Panda, Subash Behera, Shrikant Sahu, Latika Pradhan, Suryamani Baidya, State Cashew Development Corporation Chairman Subas Chandra Maharana, Berhampur Mayor Sanghamitra Dalai, OTDC Chairman Lenin Mohanty, Senior Citizens Planning Scheme Adviser Durga Prasad Samantaraya, Southern Division,RDC T AO, District Collector Ganjam Dibyajyoti Parida, PD DRDA V. Kirtee Vasan, Ganjam SP Jagmohan Meena, Berhampur SP Sarvana Vivek M, Sub.Collector Berhampur Ashutosh Kulkarni, BeMC Commissioner J.Sonal and all departmental government officials and Media persons were present.
The entire programs have been successfully organized under the chairmanship of District Tourism Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Binod Kumar Behera.
Speaking to Media,DTO,Behera informed 970 senior citizens of Odisha’s Gajapati, Boudh, Kandhamal, Nayagarh and Ganjam districts will travel from Kanyakumari to Trivandrum along with 30 officers for their maintenance and supervision. The journey will start from 31.10.2023 and return on 05.11.2023.
