Summary of this article
Haryana senior citizens to get free train yatra to pilgrimage sites.
These include Ayodhya, Ajmer Sharif, Vaishno Devi, Varanasi, among others.
The government will provide free food, accommodation, and station transport during travel
Senior citizens in Haryana will now be able to make a free pilgrimage by train. The Haryana government, under the Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for the same.
The Information, Public Relations, Languages & Culture Department of Haryana also posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) on March 10, 2026 regarding the collaboration with IRCTC. “The state government will now facilitate visits for eligible elderly devotees to various pilgrimage sites by train under the ‘Haryana Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana’. For this purpose, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Haryana government and IRCTC,” it said.
Until now, the free travel facility for pilgrimage was available to senior citizens only by Volvo buses. But now with the signing of the MoU, free travel to religious places will also be possible for senior citizens by trains, said K Makarand Pandurang, Director General of Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Haryana.
The pilgrimage sites where devotees will be taken include Ayodhya, Varanasi, Vaishno Devi, Pushkar Ji, Nanded Sahib, Ajmer Sharif, Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur, and other such destinations in India.
According to a report by ANI, the elderly travellers under the scheme will also be served food and beverages during the journey. The trains running under the scheme for devotees only will have a total of 11 coaches, 10 for pilgrims and 1 for serving staff. In addition to the train travel, the state government will also provide free accommodation and free transport from the nearest railway station to the religious destination.
For the elderly more than 80 years of age, one attendant is allowed to accompany such elderly by paying 50 per cent of the ticket fare.
Incidentally, this free train travel facility for senior citizens applies only to the bonafide residents of Haryana who are over 60 years of age as on January 1 of the year when the application is made. They should also possess Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPD ID). In addition, the family income of the elderly applicant should not be more than Rs 1.80 lakh per annum.
Accompanying spouses can be given age relaxation, but they should also be bonafide residents of the state. The eligible applicants can avail themselves of the free travel facility once every three years.
