Insurance doubled, infrastructure boosted for Amarnath Yatra

Jammu, Feb 12: During its 50th Board meeting, Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) on Thursday approved setting up Laser and Sound Show dedicated to ëBaba Barfanií, to be hosted in both Srinagar and Jammu.

The show will also serve as a cultural beacon, highlighting the rich spiritual history of Jammu and Kashmir.

The board also announced that the Pratham Pooja for the Amarnath Yatra 2026  will be performed on June 29, 2026, on the occasion of Jyeshtha Purnimaa.

The formal commencement date for the yatra will be finalised soon.

The meeting was chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the Chairman of SASB.

The board approved various key measures and interventions to further enhance the spiritual experience and convenience of devotees for the upcoming 2026 Yatra.

SASB decided to enhance the accidental insurance cover for registered yatris, service providers, officials, seasonal workers, and pujaris from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

The board also discussed and approved various welfare measures for SASB employees.

The LG directed the officials for identifying spots for installation of suitable toilet facilities enroute the yatra.

He directed installation of shelter sheds and rain shelters on tracks for yatris, service providers and security personnel.

The meeting also discussed ongoing projects, dissemination of yatra-related information, insurance cover for ponies; extension of online and pre-paid services; registration of pilgrims; disaster preparedness and mitigation measures; adequate provisioning of medical care facilities; langar and volunteer services, telecommunication, grid connectivity; weather forecasting infrastructure and systems, security and surveillance; digital pre-paid system for hiring services, laying of crash barriers and safety railings along vulnerable stretches on both routes and the progress achieved on various ongoing works undertaken by different departments.

Reviewing the maintenance, restoration and development of yatra tracks by Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the board was informed that the BRO has registered a significant progress, achieving comfortable track width on both Baltal and Pahalgam routes.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SASB, Mandeep K. Bhandari, gave a detailed presentation regarding the arrangements for the upcoming yatra.

The meeting was attended by SASB members Swami Avdheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj, Kailash Mehra Sadhu, K K Sharma, K N Rai, Mukesh Garg, Shailesh Raina, Simridhi Bindroo, Suresh Haware, and Vishwamurti Shastri.

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary, Jal Shakti Department, Shaleen Kabra; Additional Chief Secretary, Power Development Department, Shailendra Kumar; Director General of Police (DGP), Nalin Prabhat; Principal Secretary Home, Chandraker Bharti; Principal Secretary, Finance, Santosh D. Vaidya; Administrative Secretaries; Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; IGPs; Deputy Commissioners (Ganderbal and Anantnag); Additional CEO SASB and senior officers of J&K administration, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and SASB also attended the meeting, in person and through virtual mode, at Lok Bhavan Jammu.