PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Uttarakhand government will prioritise providing services to foreign pilgrims during the Char Dham Yatra this year to promote the pilgrimage internationally. The government plans to give foreign visitors easy access to Ganga Aarti and other religious rituals throughout the pilgrimage to ensure they carry a positive experience with them, Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said.
He informed that various departments are finalising preparations as the Yatra begins in a week. So far, over 19.95 lakh people have registered, including about 17,000 foreign nationals from 103 countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Nepal and Australia, as per Maharaj. According to him, 6,100 foreign pilgrims have registered for Kedarnath, 4,800 for Badrinath, 3,150 for Gangotri and 2,750 for Yamunotri, so far. In total, 681,818 people have registered for Kedarnath, 601,278 for Badrinath, 354,649 for Gangotri, 323,551 for Yamunotri and 34,633 for Hemkund Sahib.
The minister said that the government is working to provide better facilities to foreign pilgrims and make religious rituals more accessible to them as he believes that this approach will help spread awareness about the Char Dham Yatra abroad. The Yatra will begin on April 30 with the portal openings of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples. The portal of Kedarnath temple will open on May 2, followed by Badrinath on May 4.
