Bhubaneswar, Mar 19 (PTI) Altogether 775 people from six districts of Odisha boarded a special train here on Wednesday to visit Ayodhya and Varanasi as part of a state government pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens, an official said.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida flagged off the special train under the ‘Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra' scheme from Bhubaneswar Railway Station. Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan and Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain were also present on this occasion.

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In the seventh phase of 'Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana', 775 pilgrims from Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Dhenkanal, and Kendrapara began their journey in the special train to the two destinations to seek the blessings of Lord Sri Ramlala, Parida said.

She said 25 Odisha government officials also accompanied the pilgrims.

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Singh appreciated the effort of the state government for the cultural exchange programme between Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

With faith and devotion, many devotees from Odisha took a holy dip in the Mahakumbh recently held in Uttar Pradesh, he said.

He has a firm belief that the development of yje culture of Uttar Pradesh and Odisha will lead the country to fulfil the dream of 'Vikasit Bharat' by 2047.

The 'Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana' was launched by the state government to enable the poor and deprived senior citizens to realise their lifelong dream of having one 'tirtha yatra' (pilgrimage) to fulfil their spiritual aspirations with the support of the state government.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)