Fitness Test is Mandatory for Senior Citizens to Going for Char Yatra

According to the mandates given in “Mere Buzurg” and “Mere Tirtha” schemes only pilgrims who are medically fit will be allowed to go on the Yatra. All senior citizens will have to first submit the medical certificate after undergoing fitness examination and only then will they be allowed to go on the Char Dham pilgrimage. In case the age of the senior citizen has reached more than 165 then under the Mere Buzurg Mera Tirth scheme; provisions will be made for free Yatra for the person. In fact free Yatra scheme for elderly has been the central thought for the Uttarakhand Government. Last Year the response to this Yatra scheme had been poor which is why a lot of effort has been given for the publicity of this scheme this year.

The attainment of fitness certificate for the elderly has now been made into a mandatory requirement for the Yatra. Only after the senior citizen ahs submitted the medical fitness certificate will appropriate permission be granted for the Yatra which involves trekking amidst high altitude rough terrain. All the chief medical officers in the nearby Char Dham vicinity have been informed about the relevance and importance of the scheme. Heart/ cardiac examination of every senior citizen who embarks on the Gangotri Badrinath journey will be conducted. Bone density inspection and eye inspection of the pilgrims will also have to be done. Once the reports to the mentioned medical examinations are favorable, appropriate permission for Yatra will be granted. If there are major health issues then permission will not be granted for Char Dham Yatra. The CMO has instructed district medical centers, local hospices, government check up centers and local hospitals to conduct the medical checkup facility for senior citizens at zero cost. This is a part of the Uttarkhand Governments risk mitigation process for Char Dham Yatra scheme. It is a common observation that the elderly suffer from eye, bone and heart problems and under these situations it might be extremely difficult and risky to allow them to embark on the Yatra.

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