A selfie can get you Rs 5,000 from Karnataka govt. Here are the scheme detail

Devotees from Karnataka who wish to avail the Kashi pilgrimage subsidy of Rs 5,000 from the state government will now have to take a geotagged selfie within a 5km radius of the Kashi Vishwanath temple and upload it on the muzrai department app or portal. As per a TOI report, Previously, pilgrims could claim the subsidy by providing a biometrically attested certificate or a temple darshan ticket attested by the manager of the Karnataka state guest house in Varanasi. The introduction of the selfie requirement aims to simplify the process and prevent false subsidy claims.

The Karnataka government offers a subsidy of Rs 5,000 to 30,000 devotees per financial year. On average, 60% of the quota has been availed so far. Ramalinga Reddy, the Karnataka muzrai minister, explained that the new rule will make it easier for pilgrims to obtain the subsidy. He acknowledged that younger individuals are adept at managing the selfie-clicking process, but recognized that women and senior citizens may face difficulties in obtaining attested certificates from officials.

The selfie must be geotagged and uploaded on the designated mobile app or website, along with supporting documents such as Aadhaar or domicile certificates, as well as bank account details for subsidy transfer. In addition to the Kashi subsidy, the government also provides Rs 30,000 assistance to first-time pilgrims undertaking the Mt Kailash Manas Sarovar pilgrimage and Rs 20,000 to first-time devotees embarking on the Chardham Yatra. Last year, only two individuals claimed the Kailash Manas Sarovar subsidy, while 1,863 devotees availed the Chardham subsidy.


The government has allocated a Rs 7-crore corpus for pilgrimage subsidies. Reddy stated that during the 2022-23 period, only 17,072 devotees uploaded their details for the Kashi subsidy. Similarly, 1,644 devotees who participated in the Karnataka-Bharat Gaurav Darshan Yatra to Kashi-Gaya were granted a subsidy of Rs 5,000.