Will Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's 20 Camps for Women Kanwars Redefine the Kanwar Yatra Experience?

New Delhi, June 26 (NationPress) In a significant move to ensure exceptional facilities for Shiva devotees, referred to as 'Kanwars', during the sacred month of Shravan, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Thursday the establishment of 20 exclusive camps tailored specifically for women devotees making their pilgrimage on foot.

The Chief Minister convened a focused meeting with members of the Kanwar Seva Committees, responsible for organizing essential services like tents and community meals (bhandaras) for Shiva devotees throughout the Kanwar festival.

CM Gupta emphasized that her administration is committed to extending utmost respect and hospitality to the Kanwariyas.

During the holy month of Shravan, as Kanwars enter Delhi, state government Ministers and MLAs will be present to welcome them at the city's borders.

Attendees at the meeting included the Chairman of the Kanwar Festival Organising Committee and Delhi's Culture and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra; alongside committee members and MLAs Anil Sharma, Sanjay Goyal, Ajay Mahawar, Pradyuman Rajput, Abhay Verma, among others.

In her address to the Shiva devotees and Kanwar committees dedicated to service, the Chief Minister stated that the Delhi government is wholly committed to ensuring the festival is both grand and seamless.

She noted that this marks the government's inaugural Kanwar event, with aspirations to create the most memorable, convenient, and well-organized Kanwar celebration to date.

The Chief Minister reported that improvements have been made in areas such as sanitation, toilets, security, electricity, lighting, and medical facilities.

A new initiative has been launched to grant permissions to organizing committees within 72 hours, CM Gupta mentioned.

Additionally, provisions have been made to supply up to 1,200 units of free electricity for each camp, she added.

She also assured that all pending payments after the festival will be settled within three months.

Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra, who is spearheading the preparations for the Kanwar festival, affirmed that the Delhi government is dedicated to making this year's Kanwar Yatra both grand and well-coordinated.

He urged all representatives of the Kanwar Committees to work earnestly and adhere to defined standards, treating the welcome of Shiva devotees as a festival in itself.

Minister Mishra also pointed out that under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a special emphasis will be placed on cleanliness at the Kanwar camps, including additional provisions for mobile toilet vans.

"Plans are also in place to construct welcome gates for Shiva devotees. This year's Kanwar festival will serve as a unique example of public participation, with the government aiming to establish at least 20 separate camps dedicated exclusively to women devotees," he stated.

Last year, 170 Kanwar organizing committees received funding from the Delhi government.

The Kanwar Yatra stands as one of North India's most significant religious traditions, where millions of devotees gather holy Ganga water from Haridwar, Gangotri, and other sacred sites to offer at Shiva temples in their hometowns.

Annually, thousands of Kanwar devotees traverse through Delhi en route to various states.

To receive and accommodate them, Kanwar camps are established throughout the city, providing resting areas, food, and medical facilities along key routes used by the devotees on foot.