KATHMANDU: The Rajasthan government has decided to fly its senior citizens free of cost to three pilgrimage destinations, including Pashupatinath temple in Nepal.
The two other destinations that the state’s elderly residents would be flown free this year onward are Dehradun and Kolkata en route to shrines in Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
According to Indian media reports, the senior citizens going to Pashupatinath Temple will be flown free of cost to Kathmandu.
The decision to add more destinations for free pilgrimage for elderly state residents were taken Wednesday after modifying the state’s Senior Citizens Pilgrimage Scheme, according to the statement of the Rajasthan government.
Announcing the decision, State Tourism and Devsthan Department Minister Vishvendra Singh said, “5,000 passengers will go by airplane and another 5,000 by rail this year.”
Applications to avail the benefit of the scheme can be made from July 5, he added.
The retired government employees will also be able to avail the scheme, said the statement, adding five percent seats among the pilgrims would be reserved for journalists aged 60 years or more.
