PrashantNews
After the death of nearly 15-20 devotees, health screening of the Chardham yatra pilgrims above 50 years of age has been made mandatory by the Uttarakhand government, a top official said on Monday.
A section of the media has put the death toll at 29. The government has not issued any update on deaths of pilgrims occurring during the Chardham yatra which began on May 10.
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said the state health department along with Hans Foundation and Wish Foundation has launched the eSwasthya Dham app for the pilgrims coming to the Chardham Yatra.
All the pilgrims have to upload their health data on the e-Swasthya Dham app, she said. The state health department will conduct health screening of pilgrims at various places. “The Health screening of pilgrims above 50 years of age will be done compulsorily”, she said.
During a meeting of the Health and Tourism Departments at the state secretariat, the Chief Secretary instructed the officials of the two departments to ask the pilgrims of the Chardham Yatra to provide information about their medical history during registration.
The Chief Secretary said if the pilgrims provide their correct medical history during the registration, it will help the administration to provide medical assistance to the pilgrims during any emergency.
The availability of medical history of the pilgrims will also help the administration in better management of its medical resources. She said the administration is committed to conduct the chardham yatra in safe and smooth manner.