On Wednesday, The Delhi government approved the inclusion of Ayodhya in its free pilgrimage scheme (Tirth Yatra Yojana) for the senior citizens, CM Arvind Kejriwal said in a press conference.

The Delhi CM offered prayers at the Ram Janambhoomi site in Ayodhya and said, "Now Ayodhya has also been included in Delhi Govt`s Tirth Yatra Yojana; to be free of cost for the aged people. They can also bring a member/kin along".

Kejriwal`s announcement comes ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls early next year which his Aam Admi Party (AAP) plans to contest.

The Delhi Government had launched Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana in 2018 in which it offers free travel packages for senior citizens of Delhi. The city government bears complete expenditure on a free pilgrimage of senior citizens to places like Jagganath Puri, Rameshwaram, Shirdi, Mathura, Haridwar, Tirupati among others. The scheme offers accommodation, meals, and insurance for all participating senior citizens.

Over 35,000 senior citizens have undertaken pilgrimage under the scheme.

As per the scheme, the applicant must have completed 60 years of age and should not have ever availed of the scheme in the past. The scheme is not for those senior citizens who are employed with central/ state governments or local/ autonomous bodies.

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