<p>Mumbai: A day after the Maharashtra government tabled the annual Budget 2024-25, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday sprang a surprise when he announced the 'Mukhya-Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana', a new pilgrimage scheme aimed to help senior citizens from all religions.</p><p>“We would facilitate the pilgrimage of senior citizens from all religious backgrounds, helping them achieve their spiritual aspirations despite any personal or financial obstacles,” Shinde told the Maharashtra Legislature.</p>.'Collective leadership is our formula', says Sharad Pawar on Maharashtra CM candidature.<p>The Chief Minister’s announcement came in reply to a calling attention notice of Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik. </p><p>According to Shinde, appropriate rules would be framed for the scheme and beneficiaries would be picked based on their financial background.</p><p>“The scheme would be for senior citizens and include pilgrimage sites across religions,” said Shinde.</p><p>Sarnaik had pointed out that senior citizens cannot fulfill their dream of going on pilgrimages due to financial constraints, lack of companionship, or insufficient information about pilgrimage arrangements.</p><p>The announcement for the pilgrimage scheme comes ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra - the first big elections after the Lok Sabha polls. </p>
<p>Mumbai: A day after the Maharashtra government tabled the annual Budget 2024-25, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday sprang a surprise when he announced the 'Mukhya-Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana', a new pilgrimage scheme aimed to help senior citizens from all religions.</p><p>“We would facilitate the pilgrimage of senior citizens from all religious backgrounds, helping them achieve their spiritual aspirations despite any personal or financial obstacles,” Shinde told the Maharashtra Legislature.</p>.'Collective leadership is our formula', says Sharad Pawar on Maharashtra CM candidature.<p>The Chief Minister’s announcement came in reply to a calling attention notice of Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik. </p><p>According to Shinde, appropriate rules would be framed for the scheme and beneficiaries would be picked based on their financial background.</p><p>“The scheme would be for senior citizens and include pilgrimage sites across religions,” said Shinde.</p><p>Sarnaik had pointed out that senior citizens cannot fulfill their dream of going on pilgrimages due to financial constraints, lack of companionship, or insufficient information about pilgrimage arrangements.</p><p>The announcement for the pilgrimage scheme comes ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra - the first big elections after the Lok Sabha polls. </p>