Now Reading: Punjab CM Mann, Kejriwal flag off 15 pilgrim buses under yatra scheme
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Punjab CM Mann, Kejriwal flag off 15 pilgrim buses under yatra scheme
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal flagged off 15 buses carrying pilgrims from Hoshiarpur on Wednesday as part of the Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojana. The buses are…
The Story in Brief
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal flagged off 15 buses carrying pilgrims from Hoshiarpur on Wednesday as part of the Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojana. The buses are headed to Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, and Salasar-Shri Khatu Shyam. Under the scheme, pilgrims aged 50 and above, along with up to two family members, get free AC bus travel, accommodation, and food.
Kejriwal said many devotees were visiting these sites for the first time, and the government plans to take 1.5 lakh people from Punjab on such trips in the coming months. The first phase of the scheme has already covered four lakh pilgrims to Sri Amritsar Sahib and Sri Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi. The buses this time drew passengers from five districts including Jalandhar and Pathankot.
The Indian Opinion
AAP frames this as a gift to the faithful, and pensioners may well welcome cheap temple trips. Yet the state's fiscal math invites a harder look: Punjab already shoulders a heavy debt burden and a stretched power subsidy bill. Subsidising AC sleeper buses and meals for lakhs of devotees, Kejriwal promised 1.5 lakh more travellers, will add to recurring expenditure without generating revenue. The real test is whether the government will disclose the full cost of Phase II before election season, so voters can judge the trade-off against other public needs like health and education.
Source: indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
