Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

• Doing a pilgrimage once in a lifetime, especially in old age is a dream for many.
• Financial constraints, lack of knowledge, or companionships are some common reasons hindering these citizens from fulfilling their pilgrimage dreams.
• Addressing this issue, the Eknath Shinde government introduced a new scheme known as 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana'.
• Under this scheme, the government will fulfill the pilgrimage dreams of Maharashtra Senior Citizens.
• Announced scheme is also known by other names such as 'Maharashtra Pilgrimage scheme', 'Maharashtra Free Pilgrimage Scheme', and 'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana'.
• With this initiative, citizens of Maharashtra can travel to identified major religious sites across India, regardless of their religion.
• Pilgrimage provided under the Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana is free of cost, which means the applicants are not required to pay a single rupee for their journey.
• Based on the site distance, bus or train tickets will be arranged by the tour operator assigned by the department.
• Citizens who have completed 60 years of age are eligible for the Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana.
• The Benefits of Maharashtra Teerth Darshan Yojana will be provided to applicants once in their lifetime for the designated sites.
• The maximum expense per person borne by the government is Rs 30,000/-, including travel, food, and accommodation.
• Only selected persons are allowed for the journey, and under any circumstances accompanying another person is not allowed.
• However, citizens above 75 years of age are allowed to take one assistant, whose details need to be provided during the form submission.
• If spouses are traveling together, the helper facility will not be provided unless both spouses are more than 75 years of age.
• The age of the helper or assistant should be between 21 and 50 years.
• The selection of the pilgrims for the pilgrimage will be conducted at district level by following the procedure as given below : -
  • Each destination will have a fixed district wise quota.
  • A computerized draw will be conducted in case the number of applicants exceeds the number of quota for any destination.
  • A waiting list will be generated for those not selected in the draw.
  • If selected pilgrims do not travel, the person from the waiting list will be chosen.
• List of passengers selected or are in the waiting list will be uploaded on the portal or can also be checked at the notice board of Collector and Assistant Commissioner of Social Welfare Department office.
• During the journey if passengers seek facilities other than the provided one, its expenses will be borne by the concerned passenger.
• Applicants must read the eligibility criteria of Maharashtra Teerth Darshan Yojana before applying for it.
• Beneficiaries can apply for the Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana offline from Setu Suvidha Kendra or online.
• Pilgrims must bring their valid identity proof and other specified documents during the journey.
• Before embarking, applicants must read the general instruction and do follow the instruction provided by the appointed liaison officer during the journey.
• Any latest update received about the Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana will be informed here.
• Social Justice and Special Assistance Department of Maharashtra is appointed as a nodal authority to oversee the scheme implementation.

Scheme Benefits

• Eligible beneficiaries are entitled to receive following benefits under the Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana : -
  • Free Pilgrimage to all senior citizens of Maharashtra.
  • Pilgrimage facilities are available for 139 religious sites across India.
  • People of all religions are eligible.
  • Citizens above 75 years of age can avail caretaker facility.
  • Pilgrimage will be free of cost.
  • Free Pilgrimage will be provided only once in a lifetime.

List of pilgrimage sites in India

• Here is a detailed list of pilgrimage sites that are are going to be covered under Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana across India : -

  Name of the Temple	Place
  Vaishno Devi Temple, Katra	Jammu and Kashmir
  Amarnath cave	Jammu and Kashmir
  Golden Temple, Amritsar	Punjab
  Akshardham Temple	Delhi
  Shri Digambar Jain Lal Temple	Delhi
  Sri Lakshminarayan Temple	Delhi
  Badrinath Temple, Chamoli	Uttarakhand
  Gangotri Temple, Uttarkashi	Uttarakhand
  Kedarnath Temple, Rudraprayag	Uttarakhand
  Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Rishikesh	Uttarakhand
  Yamunotri Temple, Uttarkashi	Uttarakhand
  Baidyanath Dham, Deoghar	Jharkhand
  Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh
  ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan	Uttar Pradesh
  Shri Ram Temple, Ayodhya	Uttar Pradesh
  Deogarh	Uttar Pradesh
  Sun Temple, Konark	Orissa
  Shri Jagannath Temple, Puri	Orissa
  Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar	Orissa
  Mukteshwar Temple, Bhubaneswar	Orissa
  Kamakhya Devi Temple, Guwahati	Assam
  Pawapuri	Bihar
  Mahabodhi Temple, Gaya	Bihar
  Ranakpur Temple, Pali	Rajasthan
  Ajmer Dargah	Rajasthan
  Ranakpur	Rajasthan
  Dilwara Temple	Rajasthan
  Somnath Temple, Veraval	Gujarat
  Dwarkadhish Temple, Dwarka	Gujarat
  Nageshwar Temple, Dwarka	Gujarat
  Shatrunjaya Hill	Gujarat
  Girnar	Gujarat
  Sanchi Stupa, Sanchi	Madhya Pradesh
  Khajuraho Temple, Khajuraho	Madhya Pradesh
  Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh
  Udayagiri	Madhya Pradesh
  Omkareshwar Temple and Mamleshwar Temple Khandwa and Brahmapuri	Madhya Pradesh
  Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam	Karnataka
  Gomateshwara Temple, Shravanabelagola	Karnataka
  Virupaksha Temple, Hampi	Karnataka
  Chennakeshava Swamy Temple, Belur	Karnataka
  Annapurneshwari Temple, Horanadu	Karnataka
  Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna	Karnataka
  Bhoothnath Temple, Badami	Karnataka
  Murudeshwara Temple, Murudeshwara	Karnataka
  Aihole Durga Temple, Aihole	Karnataka
  Sri Krishna Temple, Udupi	Karnataka
  Veer Naryana Temple, Belawadi	Karnataka
  Tirupati Balaji Temple, Tirumala	Andhra Pradesh
  Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam	Andhra Pradesh
  Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur	Tamil Nadu
  Meenakshi Temple, Madurai	Tamil Nadu
  Sri Arulmigu Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameshwaram	Tamil Nadu
  Kanchipuram Temple, Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu
  Ranganathaswamy Temple, Trichy	Tamil Nadu
  Arunachaleswara Temple, Thiruvannamalai	Tamil Nadu
  Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu
  Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu
  Sri Sarangapani Swami Temple, Kumbakonam	Tamil Nadu
  Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram	Tamil Nadu
  Arulmigu Subramania Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur	Tamil Nadu
  Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram	Kerala
  Guruvayur Temple, Guruvayur	Kerala
  Sree Vadakkumnathan Temple, Thrissur	Kerala
  Parthasarathy Temple, Aranmula	Kerala
  Sabarimala Temple, Pathanamthitta	Kerala
  Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram	Kerala
  Sri Krishna Temple, Guruvayur	Kerala
  Thirunelli Temple, Wayanad	Kerala
  Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, Varkala	Kerala
  Thiruvalla Temple, Thiruvalla	Kerala
  Sivagiri Temple, Varkala	Kerala

List of pilgrimage sites in Maharashtra

• Here are the lists of pilgrimage sites that are to be covered under the Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana within Maharashtra : -

  Pilgrimage site in Maharashtra	District
  Shree Siddhivinayak Temple	Mumbai
  Mahalakshmi Temple	Mumbai
  Chaitya Bhoomi Dadar	Mumbai
  Mount Mary Church (Bandra)	Mumbai
  Mumba Devi Temple	Mumbai
  Shri Walkeshwar Temple Malabar Hill	Mumbai
  Vishwa Vipassana Pagoda Gorai	Mumbai
  Global Vipassana Pagoda	Mumbai
  Church of Our Lady of Health, Cavel	Mumbai
  St. Andrew's Church	Mumbai
  St. John the Baptist Church, Andheri	Mumbai
  St. John the Baptist Church, Marol	Mumbai
  Godiji Parshwanath Temple	Mumbai
  Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Fort	Mumbai
  Shaar Harahamim Synagogue, Mosque Storey	Mumbai
  Magen David Synagogue, Byculla	Mumbai
  St. John the Baptist Church	Thane
  Agiary (Agni) Temple	Thane
  Shri Mayureshwar Ganapati Temple, Morgaon	Pune
  Shree Chintamani Vinayaka Temple, Theur	Pune
  Girijatmaj Temple, Lenyadri	Pune
  Mahaganpati Temple, Ranjangaon	Pune
  Khandoba Temple, Jejuri	Pune
  Sant Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Temple, Alandi	Pune
  Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple, Khed Taluka	Pune
  Sant Tukaram Maharaj Samadhi Temple, Dehu	Pune
  Saint Chokhamela Samadhi, Pandharpur	Solapur
  Sant Savata Mali Samadhi Mandir	Solapur
  Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple, Pandharpur	Solapur
  Shikhar Shinganapur	Satara
  Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur	Kolhapur
  Jyotiba Temple	Kolhapur
  Jain Temple, Kumbhoj	Kolhapur
  Renuka Devi Temple, Mahur	Nanded
  Guru Gobind Singh Samadhi, Hajur Sahib	Nanded
  Khandoba Temple, Malegaon	Nanded
  Shree Namdev Maharaj Devasthan, Umbraj	Nanded
  Shri Tulja Bhavani Temple, Tuljapur	Dharashiv
  Saint Eknath Maharah Samadhi, Paithan	Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
  Shri Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, Verul	Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
  Jain Monuments, Ellora Caves	Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar
  Shree Vighnahar Temple, Ozar	Nashik
  Sant Nivruttinath Samadhi, Trimbakeshwar	Nashik
  Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, Trimbakeshwar	Nashik
  Mukti Dham Temple	Nashik
  Saptashrungi Temple, Vani	Nashik
  Shree Kalaram Temple	Nashik
  Jain Temple, Mangi-Tungi	Nashik
  Gajapantha	Nashik
  Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi	Ahmednagar
  Shree Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek	Ahmednagar
  Shani Mandir, Shani Shingnapur	Ahmednagar
  Shri Kshetra Bhagwangad, Pathardi	Ahmednagar
  Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali	Raigad
  Shree Gajanan Maharaj Mandir, Shegaon	Buldhana
  Ekvira Devi, Karla	Pune
  Shri Datta Temple, Audumbar	Sangli
  Kedareshwar Temple	Beed
  Vaijnath Jyotirlinga, Parali	Beed
  Pawas	Ratnagiri
  Ganpatipule	Ratnagiri
  Marleshwar Temple	Ratnagiri
  Mahakali Devi	Chandrapur
  Shri Kaleshwari (Kalubai) Temple	Satara
  Shri Ashtadashbhuj Temple, Ramtek	Nagpur
  Shri Chintamani Ganesh Temple, Kalamb	Yavatmal
  Deekshabhoomi	Nagpur

Eligibility Requirements

• Beneficiaries must meet the following eligibility criteria of Maharashtra Teerth Darshan Yatra Yojana to receive its benefits : -
  • Applicants must be permanent residents of Maharashtra.
  • Applicant age should be 60 and above.
  • Annual income of the beneficiary families should not exceed Rs 2.50 lakhs.
  • Applicants should not have received the benefit of this scheme earlier.
  • Applicants should be mentally and physically sound for the journey (except disabled).
  • Outsourced employees, voluntary workers and contract workers with income up to Rs 2.50 lakhs are also eligible.

Ineligibility Criteria of the Scheme

• Beneficiaries falling under any of the following eligibility criteria will not be considered eligible for the scheme
  • A family member of the beneficiaries is an income tax payer.
  • Any family member is a regular or permanent employees in Govt Department/Undertaking/Board/State Government or are receiving pension after their retirement.
  • Any of the family members is a sitting or former member of parliament or MLA.
  • Any of the family members are Chairman/Vice Chairman/ Director/ Member of Board/ Corporation/undertaking of Govt. of India or state government.
  • If they own a four wheel vehicle (excluding tractors) or registered in the name of family members.
  • Anyone suffering from any transmissible disease such as T.B, Cardiorespiratory diseases, Coronary insufficiency, Coronary Thrombosis, mental illness, infectious leprosy etc.
  • Beneficiaries selected in the last year's lottery and invited for the travel but did not complete their journey are also not eligible.

Required Documents

• Applicants must produce the copies of following documents, when submitting application for Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana : -

  Aadhaar Card. Ration Card. Domicile Certificate (in case of unavailability following documents will be accepted) Ration Card. Voter ID. School Leaving Certificate. Birth Certificate. Medical Certificate (should not be 15 days old from the date of travel) Passport Size Photograph. Income Certificate or Yellow or Orange Ration Card. Mobile number of any of the family members. Scheme application form. Undertaking of the scheme.

Steps to Apply

• In order to avail the benefits of Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana, beneficiaries must apply for the scheme. The application form for Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana can be submitted through three ways : -
  • Online through its dedicated portal.
  • Through Mobile App.
  • Offline Through Setu Suvidha Kendra.

Offline Application Process

• Eligible Applicants can submit the Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana application form offline.
• For this, applicants need to visit the nearest Setu Suvidha Kendra.
• It's a must for applicants to present during the application submission process, so their KYC will be completed.
• Provide the list of documents as marked mandatory.
• Provide the basic and other details during the form submission.
• Applicants will receive a confirmation message on their mobile number when the application is submitted successfully.

Online Application Process

• Applicants can also apply for the 'Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana' Online.
• To do this, applicants need to visit the scheme official portal (yet to be developed).
• From the home page select the 'Registration' tab.
• Provide the essential details and upload the important documents.
• Once the registration process is completed applicants will receive confirmation on their mobile number.
• Post submitting the application form, applicants will receive a registration number on their provided mobile number.
• Submitted application form will go through a scrutiny test.
• Authority will publish a provisional list to pass the scrutiny test.

Key Features of the scheme

• Under the scheme pilgrims can select one religious site for their pilgrimage from a list of 139 places.
• Expenses up to Rs 30,000/- for the pilgrimage will be borne by the state government.
• To receive benefits applicants can apply for the scheme online and offline.
• Only selected people are allowed to undertale the pilgrimage, and those who are not selected or ineligible are not allowed.
• Citizens aged 75 years or above are allowed to bring a spouse or assistant, whose details need to be shared during the application process.
• The age of the assistant should be between 21 to 50 years.
• If a couple is on their pilgrimage and one member is 75 years or above, they are not allowed to bring assistants.
• However, if both husband and wife's are above 75 years, they can bring an assistant.
  
• During the pilgrimage, if a person takes facilities other than the provided one, its expense will be paid by the pilgrims themselves.
• Pilgrims are not allowed to withdraw from the journey midway without supervision permission.
• Consumption of alcohol or other prohibited items is prohibited during the journey.
• Pilgrims must follow the instructions served by the supervisor.

Relevant Links

• Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana Online Application Link will active soon.
• Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana Guidelines.
• Find district wise Maharashtra Setu Suvidha Kendra.
• Maharashtra Government Official Website.
• Maharashtra Social Justice and Special Assistance Department Website.

Contact Information

• Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana Helpline Number will be provided by the government shortly.