HR&CE to fund over 400 elderlies’ Kashi trip: Minister Sekarbabu

CHENNAI: Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department Minister PK Sekarbabu on Thursday handed over pilgrimage kit comprising 15 items such as blanket, towel and other necessary items to 60 devotees at the Chennai Beach railway station, as part of the Rameswaram-Kasi spiritual tour scheme.

The department is facilitating 420 devotees, aged over 60 years, for the Rameswaram to Kasi pilgrimage. HR&CE Department bears all the costs. “Last year, a total of 300 devotees benefitted from the pilgrimage scheme to Kasi. The government allocated funds to facilitate their travel. The government has increased the number from 300 to 420 this year,” said minister Sebarbabu after the launch of the first phase of the scheme on Thursday.

This is part of the Dravidian model government’s schemes to facilitate devotees take up pilgrimage to popular destinations in Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country, the minister said and pointed out how 2,022 devotees have benefitted under the free spiritual tour to the six abodes of Lord Muruga, executed at a cost of Rs 2.14 crore in the last two years.

Similarly, HR&CE has arranged spiritual tours to Amman temples in Aadi month (between mid June and mid-July) and Vaishnavite temples in the State, benefitting more than 2,000 devotees. The minister said that the government has enhanced Manasarovar pilgrimage subsidy from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. Devotees visiting Muktinath temple get an increased subsidy of Rs 20,000, instead of Rs 10,000, the minister added.