New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita on Saturday presided over the flagging‑off ceremony of the first batch of pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (KMY) 2026 at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan in New Delhi.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Margherita congratulated the yatris on their selection and informed them that accommodation would be provided at the new acclimatisation centres recently inaugurated (virtually) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The MoS acknowledged the ceaseless efforts of various government ministries, departments and the state governments of Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh, who have been striving to provide an enriching and fulfilling experience to citizens undertaking the pilgrimage.On Thursday, the Indian Ambassador to China, Vikram Doraiswami, visited Lhasa, Tibet, to jointly review arrangements made by local government authorities for Indian pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.“Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami and colleagues from the Embassy arrived in Lhasa today on a first visit to the Tibet Autonomous Region, including to jointly review arrangements made by local government authorities for Indian pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra,” the Embassy of India in Beijing wrote on X.Last month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar conducted the computerised draw for the selection of yatris for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (KMY) 2026.“The 2026 edition of the KMY will commence in June and conclude in August. A total of 1,000 yatris have been selected through a fair, computer‑generated, random, gender‑balanced selection process,” the MEA said.“The selected yatris will travel in 20 batches, each consisting of 50 yatris, through the Lipulekh and Nathu La passes. Both routes are now fully motorable and involve very little trekking,” the MEA added.The entire process for KMY, organised by the MEA in coordination with the Chinese government, commencing from online application till selection of yatris, is fully computerised. ksk
