Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Shabari Smriti Yatra Sahay Scheme

What is the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Shabari Smriti Yatra Sahay Scheme?

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Shabari Smriti Yatra Sahay Scheme is a pilgrimage travel assistance scheme of the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board, the state body responsible for developing and supporting pilgrimage travel in Gujarat. The scheme pays Rs 5,000 per pilgrim towards the cost of travelling to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, with the journey arranged through IRCTC, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

The name carries the scheme's intent. Shabari is the tribal devotee of the Ramayana associated with Shabari Dham in the Dang district of south Gujarat, one of the state's important tribal pilgrimage sites. Naming the Ayodhya travel scheme after her links Gujarat's own tribal Ramayana geography to the Ayodhya temple, and explains why the scheme was framed first for Scheduled Tribe and tribal community pilgrims. Readers who search for it as Shabari Smriti Yatra Sahay Yojana or Ram Janmabhoomi yatra sahay are looking at the same scheme.

The scheme was launched in 2023. It initially provided assistance to a maximum of 1,500 tribal beneficiaries, and was subsequently widened by a further 8,500 places opened to people from other communities, taking the reported total to 10,000 pilgrims.

Key features

• Flat Rs 5,000 travel grant per pilgrim.
• Travel arranged institutionally through IRCTC, rather than left to the pilgrim to book.
• Claimable once in a lifetime.
• Registration is online and free, on the Board's own portal.

Who is eligible for the Ayodhya yatra assistance?

You can apply if:

• You are a resident of Gujarat, with long-term residence reported as twelve years, evidenced by a domicile or residence document.
• You are above 12 years of age.
• You have not previously drawn this benefit. The scheme is once in a lifetime.
• You hold an Aadhaar card and a bank account in your own name.
• You belong to a Scheduled Tribe or tribal community, which is the category the scheme was created for and which is given priority; other communities became eligible through the later expansion of places.

Who cannot apply, or is not eligible:

• People who are not residents of Gujarat. The scheme is funded by the Gujarat government for its own residents and a pilgrim from another state cannot claim it.
• Children aged 12 or below, who fall outside the stated age condition.
• Anyone who has already availed the benefit in an earlier batch. Aadhaar is used to detect duplicate claims.
• Applicants who cannot document twelve years of residence in Gujarat.
• Applicants applying after the sanctioned number of places for the batch has been filled, who must wait for the Board to open the next batch.

How much is the assistance and how is it paid?

The grant is Rs 5,000 per eligible pilgrim, specifically allocated for travel expenditure. Because travel is arranged through IRCTC, the grant is designed to cover the pilgrim's share of the journey rather than to be spending money.

The amount is fixed. It does not rise with the distance travelled, the class of travel or the length of stay, and no separate allowance for food or lodging is published under this scheme. Pilgrims should budget for costs beyond the grant.

What documents are required?

Upload self-attested scans. The Board's guidance is that scanned documents should be legible, so scan rather than photograph, and check that the text can be read at normal zoom before submitting.

How to apply for the Shabari Smriti Yatra Sahay Scheme

1. Open yatradham.gujarat.gov.in/SRJApplicantRegistration, the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board's registration page for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi yatra.
2. Register with your full name, mobile number and email address, create a password and complete the captcha. Use an email address that has not been used for a previous application, as the portal rejects a duplicate email with the message that an application with that email is already submitted.
3. Sign in with the credentials you just created and open the application form.
4. Fill in your personal details, age, address and district, and enter your bank account number and IFSC for the assistance credit.
5. Upload the self-attested documents — Aadhaar card, residence proof, school leaving certificate, caste certificate where applicable, and bank passbook page.
6. Submit the application and save or screenshot the acknowledgement, which carries your application reference.
7. Wait for selection and the travel intimation. Because places are limited and travel is arranged in batches through IRCTC, selected applicants are informed of their yatra dates and reporting instructions.

Can I apply offline?

The Board's own route is the online portal, and there is no separate paper scheme published. An applicant without internet access should approach the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board office at Gandhinagar on +91 79 23252459 / 23252468 / 23252458, or the district collectorate, and ask where assisted registration is available. Village e-Gram centres and common service centres can also complete the same online form.

How do I check my application status?

1. Return to yatradham.gujarat.gov.in and sign in with the email address and password used at registration.
2. Open the application and check the status shown against your reference.
3. Watch the registered mobile number for the travel intimation, since batch allotments and reporting instructions are communicated that way.
4. For anything unclear, telephone the Board at +91 79 23252459 or email gpyvb [at] gujarat [dot] gov [dot] in quoting your application reference.

When can I apply?

There is no standing last date. The Board opens registration in batches against the number of places sanctioned, and closes a batch once those places are filled. Practically, this means an applicant should register as soon as a batch opens rather than waiting, because the constraint is the number of seats, not a calendar deadline.

Why applications get rejected, and how to fix them

• Residence not established. A ration card alone is often not accepted; obtain a domicile or residence certificate from the Mamlatdar.
• Duplicate application. The portal blocks an email address already used. Register with a fresh email, and do not apply twice for the same person.
• Benefit already availed in an earlier batch. The once-in-a-lifetime rule is enforced through Aadhaar.
• Illegible uploads. Rescan at a higher resolution; unreadable caste or residence certificates are routinely returned.
• Caste certificate missing where the applicant is claiming under the Scheduled Tribe category the scheme was designed for.
• Bank details mismatched, so the Rs 5,000 credit fails. Check the IFSC against the passbook.
• Batch full. This is not a defect in the application; wait for the Board to announce the next opening.

Where do I raise a grievance?

• Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board, Gandhinagar: +91 79 23252459, +91 79 23252468, +91 79 23252458
• Email: gpyvb [at] gujarat [dot] gov [dot] in
• Portal: yatradham.gujarat.gov.in

The same Board administers Gujarat's other pilgrimage support programmes, including the Shravan Tirth Darshan Yojana, Sindhu Darshan and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra assistance, so a query about eligibility across schemes can be settled in one call.

Registration is free at every stage. No tour operator, agent or intermediary has authority to charge for a place under the scheme, and no official will ask for an OTP or a payment to confirm a seat.