Char Dham yatra begins

Flagging off the yatra, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said the six-month-long pilgrimage is the backbone of spiritual tourism and economy of the state. Special accommodation and elaborate security arrangements have been made for the pilgrims, expected to be around 50 lakh this year, officials said.

Last year, in spite of the late start of the yatra due to inclement weather, huge number of devotees, both from the country and abroad, paid their obeisance at the four divine destinations.