India, May 27 -- Odisha's Mohan Charan Majhi government is drawing up a scheme to facilitate the travel of nearly 1 million Jagannath devotees to Puri over the next five years, people familiar with the matter said.

The proposed scheme, Shree Jagannath Darshan Yojana, aims to bring 950,000 people from across the state to the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri via trains and buses. It is mostly aimed at people above the age of 50 years, particularly those from the weaker sections. There is no minimum age for widows to be eligible to make the pilgrimage under the scheme.

"The pilgrimage experience is expected to foster a sense of inner peace and spiritual harmony among the beneficiaries, which can positively impact their overall well-being and ...