Nothing in Govt of India where National Pilgrim status can be given: DG, Tourism

Responding to the southern states request of declaring Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala as a national pilgrim centre, Director General of Tourism, Satyajeet Ranjan on Saturday said that there is no such scheme in the government of India of declaring anything as National Pilgrim Centre.

"There is nothing in Govt of India where we can give National Pilgrim status. I know this as some of our Kerala MPs had requested our minister to which he said that we don't have any scheme of declaring anything as National Pilgrim center," Ranjan told ANI.

Ranjan was in the city to review the projects that the Government of India had sanctioned under two flagship programmes- Swadesh and Prasad.

Ranjan also visited the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and observed the work which was sanctioned for the years 2016-17.

Last year in December, a ministerial conference of southern states requested the central government to declare 'Lord Ayyappa Temple' at Sabarimala as a national pilgrim centre.

The meeting presided by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan passed a resolution in this regard, considering the fact that declaring 'Sabarimala' as a pilgrim centre would help provide more facilities for those visiting the temple during the November-January festival season.