Punjab Government Expands ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’, 15 Buses Carry Devotees to Religious Destinations

September 28, 2026

The Punjab government has expanded the scope of its Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’, adding several more religious destinations to the pilgrimage programme. As part of the initiative, 15 AC sleeper buses carrying devotees were flagged off from Hoshiarpur for different religious destinations, including Khatu Shyam-Salasar Balaji, Haridwar-Rishikesh and Mathura-Vrindavan.

The buses were flagged off by Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

Free Travel, Accommodation and Food for Devotees

According to the Punjab government, devotees aged 50 years or above are eligible to benefit from the scheme. A maximum of two members from a single family can participate in the pilgrimage. The government will provide AC sleeper bus travel, accommodation, food and other essential facilities during the journey. Each bus will also have an attendant to assist the passengers. Medical facilities will be available during the journey in case of any health-related emergency.

Devotees from Five Districts Included

The 15 buses flagged off from Hoshiarpur carried devotees from five districts of Punjab. The travel schedule is as follows:

 – 10 buses: Devotees from Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Jalandhar and Kapurthala travelled to Haridwar and Rishikesh.

– 2 buses: Buses from Phagwara and Gurdaspur were sent to Mathura-Vrindavan.

– 3 buses: Devotees from Jalandhar and Gurdaspur travelled to Khatu Shyam and Salasar Balaji.

During the flag-off ceremony, the leaders interacted with the devotees travelling in the buses and took information about the arrangements made for their journey.

Medical Insurance for Pilgrims

According to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, devotees travelling under the scheme will also be provided with medical insurance coverage.

In case of an emergency, arrangements have been made for treatment at empanelled hospitals. Apart from attendants on the buses, special teams will also be deployed at different locations to ensure that the pilgrimage is conducted smoothly. After completing the pilgrimage, devotees will reportedly be given prasad along with a brass glass as a souvenir.

Around 4 Lakh Devotees Have Already Undertaken the Pilgrimage

According to the Punjab government, around 4 lakh devotees have already visited various religious destinations under the first phase of the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Scheme. The destinations include prominent religious sites such as Sri Amritsar Sahib and Sri Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi.

The state government has said that approximately ₹148 crore has been spent on the scheme so far. The overall target is to facilitate pilgrimage for 10 lakh devotees to various religious destinations.

Pilgrimage Programme to Continue

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann extended his best wishes to the devotees embarking on the pilgrimage. He said the objective of the scheme is to provide senior citizens with an opportunity to visit religious places when they may otherwise be unable to undertake such journeys despite having the desire to do so.

The Punjab government has also said that religious sites belonging to different faiths convey messages of brotherhood, peace and humanity.

According to the government, plans are in place to facilitate religious journeys for around 1.5 lakh more people in the coming months.