Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Our Government had resolved to take the elders of the State on pilgrimage by flight. Today is the day for a resolution to be fulfilled and a dream to come true.” The Chief Minister said that humans, along with material progress, want spiritual peace. India is a religion dominated country, pilgrimage in the path of devotion that has been considered an effective way to see God. “Pilgrimage by air has been started with the aim that our elders can attain spiritual peace by going on pilgrimage in less time conveniently. At present, one member from a family can go on pilgrimage by plane under the Mukhya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana. From the next visit, arrangements will be made for more than one member from a family to go on pilgrimage, so that elders will be able to get the virtue of pilgrimage along with their spouse. Mukhya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana by rail and plane will continue,” added Chouhan. Chief Minister Chouhan was talking to the pilgrims on the launch of the journey by plane under the Mukhya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana from Raja Bhoj Airport, on Sunday.

 

The Chief Minister inaugurated the Teerth Yatra scheme by lighting a lamp. It must be noted that Madhya Pradesh is the first State in the country to provide air travel to poor elderly pilgrims. In all, 32 elderly pilgrims, including 24 male and 8 female pilgrims, participated in the first pilgrimage to Prayagraj by plane. Chouhan welcomed the elderly pilgrims by presenting them with shawls and flowers and garlanding them. He gave a replica of the boarding pass to the pilgrim Krishna Choubey symbolically. He sought blessings from the elders and also got a group photo with the elderly pilgrims while the pilgrims entered the airport amidst beating of drums. The Chief Minister flagged off a regular Indigo flight carrying the elderly on pilgrimage to Prayagraj from the airport. Overwhelmed elderly people going to Prayagraj by plane blessed Chief Minister Chouhan. Culture Minister Usha Thakur, Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Prabhuram Chowdhary, Medical Education Minister Shri Vishwas Sarang, Ex-Protem Speaker and MLA Rameshwar Sharma, MLA Vishnu Khatri, Krishna Gaur, Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai and other representatives and officers were present. Pilgrimage gives feeling of immersion in devotion of God Chief Minister Chouhan said that our elders are leaving for pilgrimage today by plane.

 

It is believed that one becomes pure simply by taking the name of Ram from our mouth, heart becomes pure by Brahma Gyan, feet by going on pilgrimage and hands by doing charity. Pilgrimage has great importance in Indian culture. The three paths of attaining Bhagwat have been described as Bhakti Marg, Gyan Marg and Karma Marg respectively. Immersion in the devotion of God is the path of devotion, pilgrimage gives this feeling. The elders of the State are being sent by plane on a pilgrimage to Prayagraj, the confluence of Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati rivers, to give them a sense of spiritual peace and joy. ‘Pilgrimage for elderly by plane is an attempt to realise PM Modi’s vision Chief Minister Chouhan said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that our Government has made such arrangements that even those wearing slippers will be able to travel by air. Making arrangements for pilgrimage by plane under the Mukhya Mantri Teerth-Darshan Yojana is an attempt to make Prime Minister Modi’s vision come true. These yatras will continue on a regular basis.

 

He told that so far 7.82 lakh elderly people have gone on pilgrimage by rail under the scheme. The sequence of pilgrimages by plane will continue. Along with Prayagraj, such yatras will continue to be organised to Shirdi, Mathura-Vrindavan, Gangasagar by plane. Along with this, the works of development and welfare will continue to improve the lives of the people of the State. ‘Shivraj played role of a son’ The 72-year-old Siya Kumari Sharma, a resident of Bairagarh Ward No. 2, said that she does not have any child. She could not have imagined even in her dreams that she would travel by plane and that too to Prayagraj. When corporator Kusum Chaturvedi informed her about this and got her to fill the form, her happiness knew no bounds. She has also visited Tirupati Balaji 3 years ago under the Mukhya Mantri Teerth-Darshan Yojana. She emotionally said that I do not have any child, so what since Chief Minister Shivraj is playing the role of my son. May God always keep him happy and he may move ahead. ‘Poor farmer can’t even think of going on pilgrimage by air’: Pilgrim Umesh Singh Nagar, (72), of village Harrakheda Berasia said that an ordinary farmer like me could not even imagine that he would ever go on a pilgrimage sitting in an aeroplane. When I got a call from the Janpad office that you would be taken on a pilgrimage to Prayagraj by aeroplane, I could not believe it. It was like a golden dream. I had never thought that the government would get air travel done. By the way, I have three sons and a daughter, all are good, but we do not have the capacity to board an aeroplane.

 

The government got Jagannath Puri's pilgrimage done by rail 5 years ago. Today I am going to Prayagraj by aeroplane. I heartily bless and thank Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his entire family. ‘No CM has ever made public travel by plane’: Tikaram Sen, (78), of village Ronjia, Berasia, said that till date there has not been any Chief Minister who makes the poor go on pilgrimage by aeroplane. In Treta Yug, Shravan Kumar had made his parents sit on his shoulders for pilgrimage. Today Chief Minister Chouhan is taking elders of the State for pilgrimage by aeroplane. Many thanks and blessings to him. ‘Will travel by air for the first time’: Mangilal Nagar (71) of Hinauti Sadak, Berasia; Naresh Bhargava (72) of Dillod Berasia, and Rajal Bai (67) of Gondar Mau, said that they are very happy and excited today. They are going in an airplane for the first time and that too on a pilgrimage to Prayagraj. It is a happy and unforgettable moment in life. Everyone heartily thanks and blesses Chief Minister Chouhan and the State Government for this. ‘32 pilgrims of Bhopal district left by plane’: 32 pilgrims from Bhopal district took part in the first air journey under the Mukhya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana. Among them are Ramdas Durga Nagar, Sitaram Verma Jatkhedi, Prem Narayan Patel Jatkhedi, Kusum Bai Jatkhedi, Ahilya Bai Bhope, Chinjo Bai Kushwaha Jatkhedi, Jagdish Prasad Gaur Karond, Kok Singh Bhopal, Dinesh Saxena Punjabi Bagh, Krishna Choubey Dashmesh Nagar, Imrat Singh Palasi, Brijmohan Pachauri Karond, Dinesh Kumar Sharma Karond, Ramprasad Chandoria Chandbarh, Siya Kumari Sharma Kailash Nagar, Rajal Gandhi Nagar, Gulab Singh Prajapati Tilakhedi, Prahlad Bagroda, Mitthulal Phanda Kala, Narayan Singh Piplia Jahirpir, Umesh Singh Nagar Harrakheda, Mangilal Nag, Hinauti Sadak, Naresh Bhargava Dillod, Ramsingh Kushwaha Gunga, Tikaram Sen Ronjhiya, Ramlal Prajapati Gunga, Kamla Chouksey Barkheda Pathani, Harprasad Lodhi Gunga, Santosh Kumar Gupta Jahangirabad, Naval Singh Gandhi Nagar, Kishan Meena Gandhi Nagar and Shakuntala Devi Barkheda. An officer of the Zilla Panchayat and tour operator of IRCTC also accompanied the pilgrims.