New Delhi, May 1: The registration for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra organized by Ministry of External Affairs started on February 20, 2018. This year, the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is scheduled for June 8 to September 8, 2018 through two routes. The applicants for this Yatra must be at least 18 years and not more than 70 years on 1 January 2018 to be eligible to apply for this Yatra. Last date for registration is 23 March 2018.

Ahead of the Yatra, the Ministry of External Affairs has issued an advisory for Indian citizens travelling for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (KMY) through Nepal.

Take a look at the advisory:

  • They should ensure that they have appropriate Chinese visa and Travel Permit for Tibet in hand before commencing their journey. The Chinese Visa is to be obtained from the Embassy of China in New Delhi and not from Embassy of China in Kathmandu.

  • They should note that they would be traversing Simikot and Hilsa in Nepal on their way. Both these places have inadequate tourist/medical infrastructure and are prone to inclement weather due to which to-and-fro flights get disrupted.

  • They should get themselves medically examined before embarking on the tour. They should keep at least ten days of medicine, including High Altitude Sickness and other life-saving drugs.

  • They should note that Simikot and Hilsa do not have ATM facilities and thus they should carry enough cash (in INR, which is widely used in Nepal as well; as well as some Chinese Yuan, for Tibetan side).

  • They should carry an Indian SIM Card with international roaming facilities, as well as purchase a local SIM card while in Nepal (preferably of NTC, which provides 3G facility in Simikot).

  • They may download messaging applications like WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat – so that they remain in constant communication even from places with poor/no mobile connectivity, but having Wi-Fi facilities.

  • They should carry contact numbers of their tour operators and their agents, as well as emergency contact numbers of Embassy of India, Kathmandu – (a) Sh. Pranav Ganesh, First Secretary (Consular): 9851107006; (b) Sh. Tarun Kumar, Attache (Consular): 9851107021; (c) Sh. Rajesh Jha, Assistant (Consular): 9818832398; (d) Sh. Sushil Gupta, Embassy Representative (Nepalganj): 9856020427; (e) Sh. Janak Shahi, Embassy Representative (Simikot/Hilsa): 9858321049; (f) Emergency number: 9851165140.

  • They should avoid booking around full moon dates since there is overbooking during these periods. This leads to pilgrims being stranded for several days due to inadequate infrastructure facilities in Simikot and Hilsa or flight cancellations because of inclement weather.

  • They should refrain from using a detour to visit any other religious places and routes different from the usual Yatra route. They should exercise due care while trekking through the mountainous terrain and refrain from photography (selfies etc.) in the interest of their safety and security.

Keeping in line with Government of India’s push for the digital mode of interaction with the public, registration for this Yatra on the website https://kmy.gov.in is a fully online process. Applicants have to scan and upload passport pages containing personal details (photo page), address details (last page), and a photo to complete the application.

The online form has necessary guidelines in Hindi and English languages to complete the form. Incomplete applications would be automatically cancelled after the cut off date.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2018 09:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).