Jaipur, Mar 31 (PTI) Rajasthan Devasthan Minister Joraram Kumawat on Tuesday flagged off a special train to Rameswaram-Madurai at the Durgapura railway station here under the Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme 2025-“26.

Speaking at the programme organised by the Devasthan Department, Kumawat interacted with senior citizens and said this was the final train under the Budget 2025-26 announcement, with the financial year coming to a close.

A total of 990 senior citizens from Jaipur, Kota and Bharatpur divisions embarked on the pilgrimage, a statement said.

According to officials, 400 passengers boarded the train from Durgapura, 120 from Sawai Madhopur and 470 from Kota railway station.

The train is scheduled to reach Rameswaram on April 2, where it will halt for a day. During the stay, pilgrims will be taken to the Ramanathaswamy temple, one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites, along with Jyotirlinga and Mani darshan. They will also visit Dhanushkodi to see the floating stones associated with Ram Setu, the statement said.

The next day, they will travel to Madurai, where they will visit the Meenakshi Temple. The train will then return to Jaipur on April 7, officials said.

Kumawat said that under the Budget 2025-“26 announcement, around 50,000 senior citizens have been taken on pilgrimages across the country through 56 trains till March 2026.

He added that about 6,000 senior citizens have also been taken for darshan to Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, Nepal, through 83 flights under the scheme.

The minister said officials have been directed to initiate preparations, including online applications, for the Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme 2026-27. Several officials and public representatives were present on the occasion, the statement added. PTI AG PRK