Special prayers mark 38th foundation day of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board

Jammu: Special prayers on Wednesday marked the celebrations of 38th foundation day of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) at Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the famous shrine in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB, Anshul Garg along with other officials attended the special prayers and yagya, and reiterated his commitment to ensure best possible facilities for the pilgrims.

He recalled the contributions made for the facilitation of the pilgrims throughout the journey and lauded the tireless efforts of each and every foot soldier.

"With Mata's blessings, we have emerged as one of the most visited shrines in the country and our collective efforts have been recognized at the national level in the form of national water award and national e-governance award which indicates our steadfast pursuit of the mandate entrusted to us by the board,” Garg said.

The shrine board CEO extended his gratitude to the chairman of the board Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for his continuous support and guidance under which a plethora of initiatives for facilitation of pilgrims and welfare of staff are being undertaken by the board relatively in a short span of time.

Besides, creation, upgradation and expansion of perceptible improvements in infrastructure both for pilgrims and staff, state-of-the-art initiatives such as RFID-based yatra access cards, 'panchmeva prasad/prasad counters' and new online portals have been launched, he said.

Garg also enumerated various significant measures for the general welfare of the board employees which include promotion of several stagnant employees and increased allowances, among others.

At Katra, the main function was held at Niharika Complex where special prayers were performed by organizing 'havan'. The religious ceremonies were also organized at Bhawan, Adhkuwari and Jammu in which the staff of the shrine board and the pilgrims participated, an official said.