Rajasthan Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Panch Teertha Yojana

What is the Rajasthan Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Panch Teertha Yojana?

Rajasthan Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Panch Teertha Yojana is a state-funded pilgrimage scheme that takes Scheduled Caste residents of Rajasthan to the places most closely associated with the life of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. The Government of Rajasthan launched the scheme on 14 April 2025, Dr Ambedkar's birth anniversary, and the Social Justice and Empowerment Department is the implementing department. The scheme is commonly referred to locally as the Panch Tirth Yatra Yojana.

The idea of a "Panch Teerth" circuit is not new. Five locations are recognised nationally as the landmarks of Dr Ambedkar's life:

Rajasthan's contribution is to pay for the journey. The stated purpose is to give Scheduled Caste residents of the state one opportunity in their lifetime to visit these sites without bearing the cost themselves. Travel-related expenses under the arranged programme are borne by the state government, and the beneficiary is not asked to pay.

Rajasthan's travel rounds have concentrated on the four domestic sites; Mhow, Nagpur, Delhi and Mumbai, with the overseas Shiksha Bhoomi leg in London announced as a further phase. If you are reading about a London trip, treat that as a phase to be confirmed by departmental circular rather than something you can count on in the current round.

Who is eligible for the Panch Teertha Yojana?

You can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of Rajasthan, evidenced by your Jan Aadhaar record and domicile.
• You belong to the Scheduled Caste category and hold a caste certificate from a competent Rajasthan authority.
• You are physically and medically fit to undertake long-distance group travel, certified by a government medical officer.
• You have not previously travelled under this scheme. The benefit is once in a lifetime.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are not a Scheduled Caste resident of Rajasthan. The scheme is closed to other categories and to residents of other states.
• You are an income tax payer. Applicants must declare that they do not pay income tax.
• You have already availed the benefit in an earlier round.
• You suffer from a condition that makes group travel unsafe. The department's criteria specifically exclude applicants with tuberculosis, cardiac disease, leprosy, communicable infection or mental illness, and applicants unable to produce a fitness certificate.

Note the difference between not qualifying and not being selected. A large number of valid applicants are simply not drawn in the district lottery in a given round. Those applicants remain eligible and should apply again when the next round opens.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Panch Teertha Yojana

1. Wait for the round to be announced. The Social Justice and Empowerment Department issues a circular opening applications for a travel round and fixing the last date. Check sje.rajasthan.gov.in and the notice board at your district office.
2. Collect your documents first: caste certificate, Jan Aadhaar, Aadhaar and, most importantly, the medical fitness certificate from a government medical officer. Get the medical certificate early; it is the step that most often delays an application past the deadline.
3. Visit your nearest e-Mitra centre and ask the operator to fill the Panch Teertha Yojana application. Provide your Jan Aadhaar number so your details are fetched, then have your documents scanned and uploaded.
4. Or submit the form offline at the district or block office of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, attaching self-attested copies.
5. Collect the acknowledgement receipt carrying your application number and keep it safely. You will quote this number to check whether you were drawn.
6. Watch for the district lottery. A committee chaired by the District Magistrate or Collector draws the selected list from valid applications.
7. If selected, report for document verification and boarding on the date in your intimation, carrying original documents and the identity card issued by the department.

How does the selection lottery work?

Selection under the Panch Teertha Yojana is by lottery, not by first come first served and not by any merit or income ranking beyond the eligibility filter. A district-level management committee chaired by the District Magistrate or Collector conducts the draw from the pool of applications found valid in that district for the round.

Two practical consequences follow. First, applying on the opening day gives you no advantage over applying on the last day, so use the time to get your medical certificate right rather than rushing the form. Second, an application rejected at scrutiny never reaches the lottery at all, which is why an incomplete caste certificate or a missing fitness certificate is far more damaging than a late submission.

How do I check my application status?

1. Ask the e-Mitra operator who filed your form to pull up the application using your acknowledgement number.
2. Check the notice board or selected list published at the district and block Social Justice and Empowerment office after the lottery.
3. Watch for an SMS on the mobile number given in the application; travel intimation is usually sent to that number.
4. If nothing is visible, call the Jan Soochna helpline on 18001806127 or visit the district office with your acknowledgement receipt.

Why applications get rejected, and how to fix them

• No government medical fitness certificate, or one issued by a private practitioner. Get it from a government medical officer.
• Caste certificate not in the applicant's own name, expired, or issued outside Rajasthan. Renew it through e-Mitra before applying.
• Jan Aadhaar and Aadhaar details do not match. A name spelling difference is enough to stall scrutiny. Correct the Jan Aadhaar record first.
• Applicant is an income tax payer, which is an outright exclusion.
• Applicant has already travelled under the scheme in an earlier round.
• Form submitted after the round's last date. Rounds close on a fixed date set by circular.

Key dates to know

The scheme was launched on 14 April 2025. Since then, applications have opened in rounds rather than continuously, with each round's window fixed by departmental circular and travel usually planned around dates of significance in Dr Ambedkar's calendar, notably 14 April and 6 December. There is no permanent year-round application window, so the practical advice is to keep your caste certificate and Jan Aadhaar current so you can apply within days of a round opening.

Help and grievance redressal

• Jan Soochna / departmental helpline: 18001806127
• Department portal: sje.rajasthan.gov.in, for circulars announcing rounds
• District and block offices of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, for form submission and status
• Rajasthan Sampark, the state grievance platform, if your application is wrongly rejected or an e-Mitra operator overcharges

Applying is free apart from the government-notified e-Mitra service charge. No agent can secure you a place in the lottery, and any person offering to do so for money is misleading you, the draw is conducted by a committee chaired by the District Collector.