Government to send proposal to Centre for inclusion of Manimahesh Yatra under Prasad Yojana

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that his government would send a proposal to the Central Government for the inclusion of the Manimahesh Yatra under the Prasad Yojana. “The Tourism Department has received a proposal from its regional office in Chamba for the inclusion of the Manimahesh Yatra under the Prasad Yojana. The proposal will be sent to the Central Government after a review,” the Chief Minister said while responding to the question of Janak Raj, BJP MLA from Bharmour. Janak Raj had raised the issue under a Calling Attention Motion Rule 62.

Janak Raj demanded that the yatra be included under the Prasad Yojana as it was one of the most important religious pilgrimages of the state and attracted pilgrims from entire North India. “Apart from being a spiritual and cultural event, the yatra has become a big commercial venture as well. There’s a shortage of facilities on the yatra route. In this regard, I had met the Union Minister of Culture last month and urged him to include the yatra under the Prasad Yojana for providing better facilities. The Union Minister assured me that the Central Government could add the yatra under the scheme in the next Budget if the state government sends a proposal in this regard,” he added.

Sukhu condoled the death of three pilgrims during the Manimahesh pilgrimage in Chamba district. He said that the state government would provide all possible assistance in this hour of distress. He prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss.

Sukhu said that the Manimahesh Yatra was suspended for the time being due to bad weather conditions. He added that people must follow advisories issued by district administrations in view of inclement weather conditions from time to time to avoid loss of life and damage.