Goa CM Pramod Sawant on Monday formally launched a state-sponsored pilgrimage scheme for people with an aim to garner votes. Under the Mukhyamantri Devdarshan Yatra Yojna, he flagged off a bus towards Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The same scheme was announced by BJP in Goa before the Assembly Polls held in February this year. On the occasion, CM said that, such kind of schemes helped us garner votes. To deliver the benefits of this scheme to the needy, pilgrimage will be allotted seats on the first-cum-first-served basis. Apart from Tirupati, two other destinations will be explored – Velankanni in Tamil Nadu and Shirdi in Maharashtra. This scheme is applicable for the citizens of Goa above 50 years. The state government will take care of boarding, accommodation, and meals of pilgrims during the tours. A doctor, a policeman, and a caretaker will accompany pilgrims on the tours to handle the emergency situation if arises.
