The government of Andhra Pradesh has increased the financial assistance provided to Christian pilgrims by a significant margin, ANI has reported. Those with an annual income of less than Rs. 3 lakhs will now receive Rs. 60,000 for their pilgrimage to Jerusalem while others will receive Rs. 30,000. Earlier, they used to receive Rs. 40,000 and and Rs. 20,000 respectively.
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The government order GO MS 74 was issued by Mohd Ilyas Rizvi, Principal Secretary, Minority Welfare department on Tuesday. As per reports, it was a promise that was made by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy in his 3,648-km-long padyatra last year.
The fulfillment of the promise means that financial assistance for the Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem and other Biblical places has been increased by a whopping 50%.
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The decision to hike the financial assistance was taken last month. And it was decided that financial assistance to Hal pilgrims will be increased as well. During the Tirupati controversy, when bus tickets to one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimages were seen emblazoned with advertisements of Jerusalem and Hajj on them, BJP leaders had accused Reddy of being a non-Hindu.