Union Home Minister Amit Shah commended the National Defence Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Sunday (July 9) for their role in providing a secure Amarnath Yatra experience for every pilgrim. Shah took to Twitter to express his gratitude, stating that despite challenges, the NDRF and SDRF have consistently served the nation and humanity. He posted a photo of an SDRF jawan carrying a woman yatri for 3 kilometres through treacherous Himalayan terrain, praising them as citizens' safety guardians.
Sharing a photo on Twitter, Shah wrote: "The NDRF and the SDRF have always stood tall in service to the nation and humanity despite all odds."
"Their role has been crucial in fulfilling our goal of providing a safer Amarnath Yatra to every pilgrim. Sharing a photograph of an SDRF Jawan carrying a lady yatri on his back for 3 km through the unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas on her way back from the holy shrine. I applaud them for being the beacon of safety for the citizens," his tweet read.
After a brief halt due to inclement weather, the annual Amarnath Yatra, a holy pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, resumed on the Pahalgam route, ANI reported. The Yatra on the Baltal route, on the other hand, has yet to resume, the report said.
Previously, the pilgrimage had been halted since Friday due to inclement weather, leaving approximately 6,000 pilgrims stranded in Ramban. The closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway also trapped a group of 80 pilgrims from Karnataka near Panchtarni, according to the report. However, the administration has taken the necessary precautions to ensure their safety and to address any issues that may arise, it said.
Around 67,566 pilgrims have visited the Amarnath cave shrine since the Yatra began on July 1, with 18,354 pilgrims performing the darshan on July 5 alone, the report said. The 62-day Shri Amarnath Yatra is expected to end on August 31, 2023.