At 100, Barnala man visits Harmandir Sahib for the first time, thanks CM for tirath yatra scheme

100-year-old Jagan Singh, a resident of Karamgarh village in Barnala, considers himself fortunate to have visited the holy city of Amritsar for the first time under the state government’s ‘Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra’ scheme.

Jagan said it was the first time in his life that he had travelled to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib. “Owing to financial constraints, I could never afford the journey earlier. I feel blessed to have had the darshan of the sacred sites at this stage of my life,” said the centenarian, expressing gratitude to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for the initiative. He had joined a jatha to Amritsar recently.

Sudha Bansal, a tour guide, said, “As many as 43 members were part of the ‘jatha’ (group), which included Jagan Singh, who went to Amritsar for the first time in his life. His other family members were also part of the group. We had even requested the SGPC officials to allow him to have ‘darshan’ without standing in the queue due to his age, and permission was given.”

Similarly, a 66-year-old Pal Singh and his 63-year-old wife Amarjit Kaur from Sekha village also paid obeisance at Harmandir Sahib for the first time on February 9. In Sekha village alone, 16 out of 43 pilgrims, including elderly residents, had their first ‘darshan’ under the scheme.

The devotees from Sanghera village also joined a 44-member jatha that visited Amritsar from February 6 to 8.

Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh said that under the second phase of the scheme, over 2,200 devotees from Barnala district had visited religious and historical sites in Amritsar since November 2025.

Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said the yatra was open to people of all religions, castes and income groups. Besides the Golden Temple, devotees also visit Durgiana Temple, Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, Jallianwala Bagh and Partition Museum.

The MP said the scheme promoted religious harmony and togetherness, adding that devotees from more than 25 villages of Barnala district had so far benefited from the initiative.