Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Saturday allocated Rs 1.25 crore towards financial assistance for Hindu devotees to undertake pilgrimage to Manasarovar in China and Muktinath in Nepal.
An announcement in this regard has been made in the State Assembly during the budget session on May 15.
According to a government statement on Saturday, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department will give advertisements in newspapers by October 15 every year for selecting beneficiaries.
The applications from those who seek assistance would be scrutinised as per the rules, it added. The list will be sent to the External Affairs Ministry, which will release the final names.
Of the expenditure of Rs 1 lakh needed for visiting Manasarovar, the State government would provide Rs 40,000 per devotee as assistance. Similarly, of the Rs 25,000 required for visiting Muktinath, Rs 10,000 would be given by the government.
The Chief Minister has granted Rs 1 crore for Manasarovar pilgrims and Rs 25 lakh for Muktinath pilgrims. The assistance would be given to 250 devotees visiting Manasarovar and 250 devotees visiting Muktinath.
Manasarovar is a freshwater lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, 940 km from Lhasa. Muktinath is located at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang of Nepal.
During her campaign for 2011 Assembly polls, Jayalalithaa had promised the people that if elected to power, she would provide financial assistance for Christians willing to visit Jerusalem. She had fulfilled the promise on December 25, 2011.
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