Sri Anandpur Sahib, September 30: Under the Chief Minister’s Pilgrimage Scheme, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains today flagged off a bus carrying pilgrims from Mathura village.
On the occasion, he said that the Punjab Government has been running the Chief Minister’s Pilgrimage Scheme to facilitate visits by people of the state to various religious and historical places. He said that senior citizens are a matter of pride for society and that it is the government’s responsibility to respect their religious sentiments and facilitate their visits to pilgrimage sites. He informed that all expenses related to the pilgrimage are borne by the Punjab Government so that devotees can undertake their religious journey without any financial burden.
Harjot Singh Bains said that, while respecting the religious sentiments of the people, the Punjab Government is organizing pilgrimages to various religious destinations. He said the primary objective of the scheme is to provide senior citizens and other devotees of the state an opportunity to visit religious places. Extending his best wishes to the pilgrims, he urged them to carry the message of brotherhood, love and harmony during their journey. He added that the government would continue such initiatives for the convenience and welfare of the people.
On the occasion, residents of Mathura village especially thanked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains. They said that the Chief Minister’s Pilgrimage Scheme has provided them with a valuable opportunity to visit their religious places. The pilgrims said that the Punjab Government bearing the entire cost of the journey is a major convenience for senior citizens. They added that such an initiative also gives them a sense of being respected and cared for by the government.
The pilgrims further said that they were also happy that their elected representative remained connected with the people and participated in their moments of happiness and sorrow. They said that Harjot Singh Bains’ efforts to maintain direct contact with the people, listen to their problems and personally participate in initiatives such as religious pilgrimages were commendable.
The pilgrims thanked the Punjab Government and the Cabinet Minister for arranging the journey and said that they would pray at the religious sites for the prosperity, peace and well-being of Punjab and for the welfare of all.