Eligibility age of devotees lowered to 50
PANAJI
Nearly a year after it was put on hold due to the absence of government approval, the Mukhyamantri Dev Darshan Scheme has been restarted, with the State revising the eligibility age to include devotees between 50 and 70 years. Earlier, the benefit was restricted to those aged 60 and above.
Applications under the revived scheme will now be accepted only through an online mode, either via a dedicated web portal or a mobile application, officials from the Social Welfare Department said.
The department had conducted 17 pilgrim trips over the past three years but was unable to continue the program this financial year as it awaited formal clearance from the State government. On October 2, 2025, The Goan had reported that the proposal to resume the scheme was pending with the Finance Department and other concerned authorities.
The Mukhyamantri Dev Darshan Scheme enables Goan devotees to travel to major pilgrimage destinations across the country by special trains arranged by the government. The program saw a significant response last year when three special trains were organised to Prayagraj in February for the Mahakumbh.
During that phase, the government had allowed a one-time relaxation in norms, permitting devotees between 18 and 60 years of age, provided they had no medical conditions, to avail themselves of the facility--departing from the usual minimum age requirement of 50 years.
More than 4,000 pilgrims are reported to have travelled under the scheme during that period.
