New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Wednesday announced the list of pilgrims for the forthcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. He presided over the computerised draw of lots for the selection of pilgrims.
"The selected Yatris will be informed through SMS and email messages," he said.
This year, there will be 18 batches consisting of 60 Yatris who will take the Lipulekh route, and 10 batches consisting of 50 Yatris will take the Nathu La route.
The Ministry of External Affairs has also appointed two Liaison Officers from Central and State Governments for each batch to assist the Yatris during the pilgrimage.
The Foreign Secretary claimed that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is not only important in the spiritual context, but it also holds significance for building Indo-China relations.
Requesting Yatris to observe safety norms and protect the environment Gokhale said, "3021 applications were registered online for the yatra this year which is 713 less than compared to last year."
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is organised every year by the Ministry of External Affairs with support from Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Home Ministry, Defense Ministry, state governments of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and some civil society organisations.
