With the initiative of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, ‘Shri Ramlala Darshan Yojana’ is becoming a reality – A historic initiative of faith and cultural consciousness in the silver jubilee year
Special train will depart from Raipur on July 15 – Chief Minister Sai will flag off the train
Raipur, July 14, 2025: In the silver jubilee year of the establishment of Chhattisgarh state, ‘Shri Ramlala Darshan Yojana’ is getting connected to the lives of people with the initiative of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai to provide the people of the state the privilege of visiting Shri Ram Lalla. Under this scheme, the first special train of the financial year 2025-26 will leave for Ayodhya Dham from Raipur Railway Station on July 15, 2025. On this auspicious occasion, Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai himself will flag off this special Darshan Yatra. Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other public representatives, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board Chairman Neelu Sharma, Managing Director Vivek Acharya, senior officials and DRM Dayanand of South East-Central Railway Raipur Division, Senior DCM Awadhesh Trivedi and IRCTC – South Central Zone Group General Manager P. Rajkumar will also be present on the occasion of the departure of this train carrying devotees of Raipur division.
It is noteworthy that with the aim of providing the people of the state an opportunity to visit Ayodhya Dham of Lord Shri Ram Lalla once in their lifetime, an important agreement (MoU) was signed between Chhattisgarh Tourism Board and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on 23 February 2024. In the series of implementation of the said MoU, the scheme was formally started with the devotees of Raipur division on 5 March 2024, when Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai flagged off the first special train from Raipur Railway Station in the dignified presence of senior ministers and public representatives.
After this, on March 11, a special train for the devotees of Bilaspur division was flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister Arun Saw. In the same sequence, on June 19, the special train of Surguja division was inaugurated by MP Chintamani Maharaj in the presence of MLAs and public representatives. On 26 June, the first special train of Durg and Bastar (joint) divisions, which included 850 devotees, left for Ayodhya from Durg railway station. On all these occasions, the devotees were seen to be very enthusiastic and full of faith. Along with this, media representatives, common citizens, officers and employees of the district administration, representatives of Chhattisgarh Tourism Board and IRCTC were present in large numbers. It is noteworthy that in the last financial year, about 22,100 devotees got the opportunity to visit Ayodhya Dham under the ‘Shri Ramlala Darshan Yojana’. Under the scheme, special weekly trains will continue to take devotees of Raipur, Bilaspur, Surguja and Durg-Bastar (joint) divisions to Ayodhya Dham regularly for the darshan of Shri Ram Lalla. This initiative of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai is not only strengthening religious faith, but is also giving pride of place to the cultural consciousness of Chhattisgarh.
