Adityanath announces Rs 1 lakh subsidy: All you need to know about Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Yogi Adityanath during his first speech as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister announced a government subsidy of Rs 1 lakh for healthy pilgrims who want to go on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (KMY). This doubles the financial grant given to pilgrims from Rs 50,000.

Presiding over a meeting in the CM secretariat, Yogi said that the financial grant would encourage pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.

The previous Akhilesh Yadav government too had doubled that the grant given to pilgrims of Mansarovar from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000. The grant had to be given to those who produce a domicile certificate or a copy of the passport, certifying that they belong to UP.

KMY season will start in a couple of months and many may choose private agencies to go for the trip. The Ministry of External Affairs also makes arrangements for the trip and many choose to opt for the service.

Here are more details about the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra organised by MEA

— It will be conducted from June 12 to September 8 through two routes.

— Kailash Mansarovar is in Tibet, China. There are two routes for this Yatra. The route through Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand), which involves some trekking is estimated to cost around Rs 1.6 lakh per person.

— It will be conducted in 18 batches of 60 pilgrims each.

— The duration of the Yatra is 24 days for each batch including 3 days in Delhi for preparatory work.

— This route passes through important sites like Narayan Ashram, Patal Bhuvaneshwar. Yatris can also enjoy the scenic beauty of Chialekh Valley or the 'Om Parvat', which has the natural occurrence of snow in the shape of 'Om' on this mountain.

— The route through Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) is motorable and suitable for senior citizens unable to undertake strenuous trekking.

— From Gangtok, the route passes through scenic places like Hangu lake, and through the vast landscape of the Tibetan plateau.

— It is estimated to cost around Rs 2 lakh per person, and duration would be 21 days, including 3 days in Delhi for preparatory work. This year, 8 batches of 50 pilgrims each are scheduled to embark on this route.

— First time applicants, doctors and married couples would have priority. Senior citizens would have priority on the Nathu La route if they opt for it.

— Four persons may apply and undertake the Yatra together, subject to conditions. Yatris can select both routes indicating priority or select only one of the routes. They will be allotted a route and batch through computerised draw of lots.

— Selection of applicants will be through a fair computer-generated, random, gender-balanced selection process.

The registration process for this year ended on March 15. One can find more details for future trips on the KMY MEA trip here.

(Input from PTI)