Chandigarh, June 9 (IANS) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Tuesday sent a reminder letter to the Union government to allot special trains from Punjab to Sri Guru Ravidass Maharaj Janam Asthan Mandir in Varanasi, enabling pilgrims to pay their obeisance.

The Finance Minister, who is Chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee formed by the state government to organise celebrations, made this call while chairing a review meeting to assess the ongoing yearlong celebrations being organised by the state government to commemorate the historic 650th Parkash Purab of Guru Ravidass.

Cheema said, “The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government is facilitating free transit under the Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra scheme, scheduling regular train and bus services from various districts to Varanasi between April and October.”

“The momentum will culminate in grand Shobha Yatras traversing four major routes connecting Varanasi, Faridkot, Bathinda, and Jammu to Khuralgarh during October and November, mapping out hundreds of kilometres to unite devotees.”

During the meeting, the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs gave a presentation outlining the month-wise execution plan stretching from February through December 2026.

The extensive celebration calendar began successfully with the 649th Parkash Purab events at Khuralgarh in early February, setting a spiritual foundation that has progressed into a diverse, multi-departmental campaign.

Cheema added that special Kirtan Samagam are being organised across various districts in the state.

After successful spiritual congregations held in Ropar during April, as well as ‘samagams’ in Phagwara on June 2 and Kapurthala on June 6, the Punjab government has finalised upcoming dates for Amritsar on June 13 and Sangrur on June 20, with subsequent events scheduled for Mohali, Pathankot, Phillaur, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana through October under the direct supervision of the respective Deputy Commissioners.

Emphasising the maximisation of public engagement and leveraging modern technology, Finance Minister Cheema said the state government has approved financial outlays for specialised multimedia exhibitions.

A spectacular drone show will be conducted across 92 distinct venues.

A dedicated budget has been sanctioned for documentary screenings across all villages in Punjab, with the specialised agency officially on-boarded as of June 8 to execute these widespread rural broadcasts.

–IANS

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