Odisha Speeds Up Consent Drive for Jagannath Darshan Scheme

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has asked all district collectors to personally step in and accelerate the collection of consent forms from beneficiaries under the Shri Jagannath Darshan Yojana (SJDY), as the state gears up for the formal rollout of the scheme.

In a letter dated January 27, 2026, Tourism Director Deepankar Mohapatra expressed concern over the sluggish pace of consent form collection across most districts, despite earlier directions and coordination with local authorities.

The Department of Tourism has already issued revised operational guidelines for the scheme. Under these norms, senior citizens aged between 60 and 75 years who receive old-age pensions, as well as widows up to 75 years covered under central and state widow pension schemes, are considered automatic beneficiaries. However, their participation remains subject to mandatory individual consent.

Earlier, on January 13, 2026, the department held a meeting with District Social Security Officers (DSSOs), instructing them to collect consent forms from eligible beneficiaries during pension distribution day on January 15 at the Gram Panchayat level. Despite these measures, the response in a majority of districts has been reported as unsatisfactory.

A district-wise progress report on consent collection as of January 22, 2026, was attached to the letter, highlighting significant gaps in implementation.

Stressing the urgency of the matter, the Tourism Director urged district collectors to take personal interest in speeding up the process. The state has set a target to cover 5,000 beneficiaries in the financial year 2025–26 and expand the coverage to 30,000 beneficiaries in 2026–27 under the scheme.

The Shri Jagannath Darshan Yojana is aimed at enabling elderly citizens and widows to undertake pilgrimage visits, promoting inclusive access to the state’s religious tourism initiatives.