Even as Delhi’s free pilgrimage scheme has been projected as a key welfare initiative, a Right to Information (RTI) response accessed by India Today points to fluctuating participation and gaps in available data.
Launched in 2018 by then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana allows 1,100 senior citizens from each of Delhi’s 70 constituencies to undertake free pilgrimages. Residents above 60 years can travel with their spouse, while those above 70 can also take an attendant, with all costs borne by the government.
The RTI response also states that the government does not maintain religion-wise data of beneficiaries or expenditure. Among the most visited destinations were Rameswaram (27,409 pilgrims) and Dwarkadhish (26,388), followed by Jagannath Puri (7,819) and Tirupati (6,763).
Data provided by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) shows that 35,759 beneficiaries availed the scheme in 2019–20. The number dropped to zero in 2020–21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, before rising again to 15,988 in 2021–22 and 18,980 in 2022–23. It declined slightly to 16,200 in 2023–24.
The RTI response also states that the government does not maintain religion-wise data of beneficiaries or expenditure. Among the most visited destinations were Rameswaram (27,409 pilgrims) and Dwarkadhish (26,388), followed by Jagannath Puri (7,819) and Tirupati (6,763).
The scheme, launched by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in 2018 with five destinations, was later expanded to cover more than a dozen pilgrimage sites, including Rameswaram, Shirdi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Vrindavan and Ayodhya.
However, the RTI response suggests that participation may have declined in the later years of the AAP government, while the current status of the scheme remains unclear.
Crucially, the reply dated March 10, 2026 does not include data for 2024–25 or 2025–26, leaving a gap in assessing the scheme’s present performance.
This assumes significance as Rekha Gupta took oath on February 20, 2025. In the absence of updated figures, it is not possible to evaluate how the scheme is functioning under the current administration.
– Ends
Published By:
Zafar Zaidi
Published On:
Apr 14, 2026 02:06 IST
