Lieutenant Governor (LG) Shri Manoj Sinha chaired the 73rd Meeting of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), today at Raj Bhawan.
The meeting was attended by Members of the Board- Mahamandleshwar Swami Vishveshvaranand Giriji Maharaj; Shri Baleshwar Rai, Dr Ashok Bhan, Shri Kul Bhushan Ahuja, Dr Neelam Sareen, Shri K.K Sharma, Shri Suresh Kumar Sharma and Shri Raghu K. Mehta.
Dr Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor and Sh Anshul Garg, CEO, SMVDSB also attended the meeting.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor inaugurated and dedicated various pilgrims-centric facilities including Yatri Facilitation Centre at Railway Station Katra and Yatri Facilitation cum Staff Accommodation Complex (Shubhra Bhawan) at Banganga.
He laid e-foundation stone of the new Exit Track at Bhawan aimed at decongesting the Bhawan area and also launched Digital initiatives of the Shrine Board including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system and AI-enabled Chatbot “Shakti” on the official website of the Board. Panchang Calendar 2025 and diary of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board were also released.
The Board held comprehensive and critical review of its past decisions, ratified the actions taken after its last Meeting and took several new decisions against 25 key Agenda Items having far reaching implications for functioning of the Board and augmenting pilgrim services.
Important decisions were taken in respect of new and underway projects of the Board such as construction of Exit Track from Durga Bhawan to Manokamna (a part of the Master Plan for Bhawan area), development of helipad in collaboration with Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board in village Hutt at Katra, construction of temples in District Reasi, review of projects and status of operationalization of Medical College of the Board at Kakryal etc.
The functioning of various services such as Jammu-Bhawan-Jammu Heli Service, Smart Lockers at Durga Bhawan, Vishram Ghar near Ram Temple, Jan Aushadhi Kendra, Health ATMs, Hawan & Nav Chandi Path at New Yagyashala, Virtual Darshan facility near Bathing Ghat, Garbhjoon Aarti Darshan and Langar Sewa at Adhkuwari, were thoroughly reviewed by Board and appropriate directions were issued. The Board exuberated the confidence that the seamless delivery of approved services shall surely enhance overall experience and comfort of devotees visiting the revered Shrine.
The Lieutenant Governor, the Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, reiterated the commitment of the Shrine Board to offer enriching experience to the visiting Pilgrims by improving transparency and efficiency of all services.