Rajasthan Government: 56 thousand elderly people will be able to do free pilgrimage, application from tomorrow

Rajasthan Government: The Rajasthan government has announced the launch of its ambitious Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme-2025 for senior citizens. Under this scheme, citizens above 60 years of age will be given free travel to places of religious and national importance. The online application process will start from Friday, July 18, 2025 and the last date for application is August 10, 2025.

Key points of the scheme

Eligibility: The applicant must be a native of Rajasthan and should not be an income tax payer.

Number of travel: This time under the scheme, 50,000 senior citizens will be given pilgrimage by fully air-conditioned (AC) trains and 6,000 citizens by air. Earlier this number was 35,000, which has been increased to 56,000.

Travel start date: Selected eligible persons will be sent on the journey from August 2025.

A glimpse of Rajasthani culture

This time, to make the journey even more memorable, 11 coaches of the train have been designed on the theme of Rajasthani culture. Paintings of Rajasthan's folk dances, folk arts, festivals, temples, forts, wildlife sanctuaries and major tourist destinations will be displayed in each coach. The train will depart from Balaji station in Dheer, so that passengers can experience the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan during the journey itself.

New initiative: Visit to Wagah Border

Devasthan Minister Zoraram Kumawat said that this time the plan includes places of national importance along with religious places. Especially Wagah Border has been added to the travel list, which was not included in the earlier plans. Apart from this, a visit to Patna Saheb and Nanded Saheb is also being planned for senior citizens of the Sikh community. Other major pilgrimage sites include Rameswaram and Amritsar Golden Temple.

Application Process

Interested senior citizens can apply online by visiting the official website of Devasthan Department https://devasthan.rajasthan.gov.in or edevasthan.rajasthan.gov.in. Detailed guidelines related to the journey are also available on the website.

Selection Process: The applications will be scrutinized by a committee constituted at the district level. The selected eligible persons will be sent on the journey from August 2025.

Travel Capacity: 800 senior citizens can travel in one train.

Chief Minister's Initiative

Devasthan Minister Joraram Kumawat said that on the initiative of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, this time all the trains have been fully air-conditioned (AC). This step has been taken keeping in mind the convenience and comfort of senior citizens. Under the Budget Announcement 2025-26, this scheme has been further expanded, so that more and more senior citizens can take advantage of it.