Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana (Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana), Chhattisgarh

What is Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana in Chhattisgarh?

Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, known in Chhattisgarh as the Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana and, in its earlier form, as the Tirath Barat Yojana; is a scheme of the Social Welfare Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, that pays for a free group pilgrimage for elderly and vulnerable residents of the state.

The original scheme was launched on 4 December 2012. Between 2013 and 2019 it ran 272 journeys and carried 2,46,983 pilgrims before being discontinued. The Government of Chhattisgarh restarted it on 28 March 2025, when Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai flagged off a special pilgrimage train from Raipur railway station carrying 780 elderly pilgrims from Raipur and Balodabazar-Bhatapara districts to Tirupati, Madurai and Rameswaram. The restart carried a budget provision of Rs 15 crore and widened the scope to include widows and destitute women alongside senior citizens.

What the state pays for

• Rail travel to and from the pilgrimage destination in a dedicated special train.
• Accommodation at the destination for the duration of the tour.
• Meals through the journey.
• Local transport to the temples and organised darshan.
• Security escort and a medical team travelling with the group.

Pilgrims pay only for personal expenses such as shopping, offerings and anything outside the official itinerary.

Who is eligible for Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana?

You can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of Chhattisgarh and hold a domicile or residence certificate.
• You are 60 years of age or above on the date of application. This is the core condition of the scheme.
• You are a widow or a destitute woman, a category specifically added when the scheme was restarted in March 2025.
• You are a person with disability aged 18 or above, a category covered under the state's pilgrimage scheme framework.
• You are medically fit to travel, certified by a government doctor. The journeys are long, so this is checked seriously.
• You are not an income tax payer, if you are applying in the non-BPL share of seats.

You cannot apply if:

• You are below 60 and do not fall in the widow, destitute woman or disability categories.
• You are not a resident of Chhattisgarh. Domicile is a hard condition and the certificate must be in your own name.
• You have already travelled under this scheme. It is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit, and repeat applicants are removed at scrutiny so that new pilgrims get a chance.
• You are an income tax payer applying against a non-BPL seat.
• You are medically unfit for a long rail journey, for example with an uncontrolled cardiac, respiratory, renal or infectious condition. The medical officer's opinion is final because the train carries a limited medical team.
• You are a serving government employee, since the scheme targets elderly and economically weak residents rather than salaried persons.

Quotas. The Chhattisgarh pilgrimage scheme reserves the large majority of seats — reported at 80 per cent, for below-poverty-line applicants, with the remaining 20 per cent for non-BPL applicants who are not income tax payers. Seats are further split between rural and urban applicants, with the rural share substantially larger, reported at 75 per cent rural and 25 per cent urban. Confirm the current split from the notice issued for your district's train.

What documents are required?

How to apply for Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana

1. Watch for the district notice. The collectorate, the Social Welfare Department and the janpad and municipal offices announce a pilgrimage train, its destination, its dates and the last date for applications. Announcements also appear in local newspapers and on the district website.
2. Collect the application form free of cost from your janpad panchayat if you live in a village, from the nagar panchayat, nagar palika or nagar nigam if you live in a town, or from the district Social Welfare office.
3. Get your medical fitness certificate from the nearest government hospital or community health centre before you fill the form. This is the step that most often delays an application.
4. Fill the form and attach the documents; domicile certificate, age proof, Aadhaar, medical certificate, photographs, and the BPL card or widow or disability proof if you are claiming those categories.
5. Submit the form to the panchayat secretary, ward officer or Social Welfare office and collect the receipt. Keep the receipt safely; it is your only proof of application.
6. Wait for the district-level selection, which is done by lottery within the fixed quotas in the presence of the collector or a nominated officer when applications exceed seats.
7. Report for the journey at the assigned railway station on the notified date with your original Aadhaar, the selection letter and your regular medicines. Carry a small bag only; a long train journey with a group leaves little room for luggage.

How to check your selection status

1. Ask the panchayat secretary or ward officer with whom you filed the form. The selected list is displayed at the panchayat or municipal office.
2. Check the district collectorate notice board and website, where selected lists for a train are commonly published.
3. Contact the district Social Welfare Office, which maintains the consolidated district list and the reserve list.
4. Watch for a call from the district office. Selected pilgrims are informed by phone and by a written selection letter, so keep the mobile number on the form active.

Why applications are rejected, and how to fix each reason

• Medical certificate missing or from a private clinic. Get a fresh certificate from a government doctor at a district hospital or community health centre.
• Domicile certificate missing or in a relative's name. Apply through the e-District portal or the tehsil office in your own name well before the last date.
• Age proof inconsistent. Aadhaar, voter card and ration card sometimes show different birth years. Fix the mismatch before applying, and use the document that matches your Aadhaar.
• Already travelled earlier. A person who went on a Tirath Barat Yojana or Tirth Darshan Yojana trip in an earlier year is dropped at scrutiny.
• Wrong quota claimed. Claiming a BPL seat without a valid BPL ration card gets the form moved to the non-BPL list, where competition is much tighter.
• Form submitted after the last date. District windows are short. Keep your papers ready in advance so you can file within days of the notice.

Where to raise a grievance

• Janpad Panchayat CEO or the Chief Municipal Officer of your body, for problems with form acceptance, receipts or the display of the selected list.
• District Social Welfare Officer, for selection, quota and journey arrangements. This office is the operational owner of the scheme in the district.
• District Collector, for a written grievance about the lottery or about money being demanded for a seat.
• Social Welfare Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, Mantralaya, Naya Raipur, whose scheme pages are published at sw.cg.gov.in.

Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana is completely free. If a panchayat member, ward member, agent or travel operator asks for money to get you a seat, report it in writing to the district collector immediately.