New Delhi – The Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has launched a special Prasad and Souvenir Counter at JK House on Prithviraj Road in New Delhi, allowing devotees in the capital and nearby regions to receive the blessings of the Goddess without traveling to the shrine. As per agency report, the counter was inaugurated on Monday and will remain open daily until October 25, 2025.

According to an official post shared by the Shrine Board on social media platform X, the initiative has been started with the divine blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi. It aims to make holy offerings, sacred items, and certified souvenirs easily available to devotees who are unable to undertake the pilgrimage at present.

At the counter, visitors can purchase Mata’s Prasad, gold and silver coins, and specially crafted temple souvenirs, all officially certified by the Shrine Board. These items are regarded as auspicious and are meant to serve as a sacred way for devotees to experience the Goddess’s blessings at home.

The Shrine Board has stated that this effort particularly benefits devotees who wish to feel spiritually connected but cannot visit the shrine for various reasons. For bookings or further information, devotees can contact 9906193093 or 7006236058.

The Board’s official post also tagged the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, and the Department of Information and Public Relations, Jammu and Kashmir, concluding with the message “Jai Mata Di.” Social media users have widely appreciated the initiative, with many describing it as a thoughtful effort to bring the divine experience closer to devotees in Delhi.

Katra, 25 June (HS): The direct helicopter service from Jammu to the Mata Vaisho Devi temple began on Tuesday, facilitating pilgrims who wish to perform 'darshan' at the revered shrine within a day due to time constraints.

This is in addition to the helicopter service which is already available between Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the famous shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district, and Sanjhi Chhat near the temple with a one-way fare of ?2,100 per person.

Pilgrims opting for the service from Jammu can choose between two packages ? ?35,000 per passenger for same day return and ?60,000 per person for next day return.

Marking the commencement of the new service, the first helicopter carrying pilgrims left Jammu airport at around 11 am and landed on Panchi helipad along the new trek to the shrine, the officials said.

'The service is part of continuous efforts to provide better facilities to the pilgrims visiting the shrine,' Anshul Garg, Chief Executive Officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), told reporters in Katra after the inauguration. ?We have been getting requests from the pilgrims from faraway places within the country and abroad, facing time constraints, for a direct service between Jammu and the shrine,? Garg added.

The new helicopter service was started on the directions of the shrine board chairman and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, ac?cording to the officials.

Garg said based on the operation?s feedback from the pilgrims, the board will be approached for its expansion in the future. 'The private service is introduced on pilot basis with two sorties so that the pilgrims can visit the shrine for darshan in the morning and return in the same flight in the evening at a cost of Rs 35,000 per passenger, which includes battery car service from Panchi to Bhawan, darshan and ropeway ticket to Bhairav temple,' the board CEO said.

'The second package offers next day return and the charges are ?60,000 per person. The service also includes participation in special prayers. So, there are two types of packages and a total of 25 people can avail this service daily,' Garg said.

He said the Panchi helipad, due to its lower elevation compared to Sanjhi Chhat, will be less affected by bad weather conditions. ?The next two months (monsoon period) will be a learning opportunity for us as well as the helicopter service operators which will help us to better understand and enhance the service further,? he added.

'The service is highly comfortable and we are feeling lucky to be among the first to avail it,' a pilgrim, who had come for darshan from Madhya Pradesh and accompanied by six family members, said.

New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) A man who duped 50 to 60 women devotees on the pretext of providing them a tour package to Vaishno Devi has been held by the Delhi Police.

The accused identified as Madhur Kumar used to target women devotees during Navratri and other festivals.

Rohit Meena, DCP of Shahdara district, said that the accused used to spread captivating message on social media to dupe women devotees.

The official said that they got a complaint in this respect from one Anamika Sharma. She told the police that she got a message on a Facebook group about a tour package to 'Mata Vaishnao Devi'.

"The tour offer being very captivating i.e Rs 1300 per person including bus charges and meals. And after reaching Vaishno Devi, horse service was also said to be available. She decided to take the offer and deposited the amount online on the provided QR Code by the accused in the message on the Facebook group," the official said.

The victim stated that gathering point of the journey was near Shahadara Metro Station from where they would board a luxury bus.

On the decided date when the complainant along with other 24 women reached on the scheduled place, she found that there was no bus and organiser was also missing.

Soon she found a group of other women was also standing there in search of the same bus. They called on the accused number which was switched off.

"There, they all came to know that they all have deposited the amount on the same mobile number/QR Code Scanner of the cheater and have been cheated/duped on pretext of 'VAISHNO DEVI YATRA AND DARSHAN'. Total 50 to 60 women devotees were cheated by the accused using the same modus operandi so far," the official said.

The police collected all the relevant information regarding the incident from the cheated victims. All Bank details and number of the cheater were analysed. After the analysis and through technical evidences, police succeeded in identifying the cheat as Madhur Kumar, a resident of Panipat, Haryana. The team raided on his hideout and arrested him from Panipat.

"Madhur told the police that he wanted to make easy money and duped women devotees on the pretext of sending them to Vaishno Devi tour.

He further disclosed that he shared the QR code scanner to the victims, this QR code belonged to his brother-in-law namely Tanu who lived at Kurukshetra. From Tanu, the cheated amount was disbursed to various accounts through UPI. Madhur would later receive his share in cash from them," the police said.

Further from the mobile phone of the accused, it was revealed that he was preparing next Vaishno Devi Tour in the month of April by using same modus operandi.

Jammu (IANS) : Till the beginning of 2023, Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir was known only for the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine situated on the Trikuta Hills, where millions of devotees pay obeisance each year.

Hardly could anyone image that the sleepy Salal village located in the backyard of Reasi district would rise to a global dawn in 2023.

It is now time for scientists and miners to arrive in this village on a geological pilgrimage.

On February 9, 2023, the ministry of mines said it has discovered huge deposits of lithium, 5.9 million tonnes in Salal village of Reasi district. The discovery of lithium in Salal village has an interesting history.

A team of Geological Survey of India (GSI) reached Salal village, 77 kms from Jammu city, in 2018 to collect samples for identification of different minerals.

The team stayed in Salal village and kept collecting samples for research, investigation and processing. After more than four years of sustained sample collection, testing and re-testing of collected samples the team of miners discovered that they had hit the jackpot.

Following the guidelines of the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) and the Mineral Evidence and Mineral Content Rules, the GSI team performed reconnaissance surveys, preliminary exploration and general exploration.

GSI staff had conducted detailed geophysical work, including borehole logging, drilling and collecting core samples.

The team found that the area where lithium deposits are located is 6 kms long and 3 kms wide.

With the estimated 5.9 million tonnes of reserves in Salal, India will have the fifth-largest lithium reserves in the world, ahead of the US.

The discovery is vital as it comes at a time when India is going all out for a green transition in transportation, where electric vehicle adoption has become a national priority.

The discovery is a boost for the government's Make in India programme as lithium is used in the batteries that power EVs, mobile phones and other applications.

Villagers in Salal believe that the discovery has been possible because of abrogation of Article 370. Villagers argue that after the abrogation of Article 370, the central government as well as various companies showed interest in working and investing in J&K.

The GSI will now demarcate the area, after which the whole village will be fenced.

The entire village will be used for mining and the inhabitants living in hundreds of residential houses will be shifted and rehabilitated by the government with all the modern facilities including education, healthcare, recreation, sports, community welfare etc.

Salal village has a population of 8,000 living in around 2,500 houses.

India has been importing lithium from different countries, including China, Australia and Argentina.

In 2021, smaller deposits of lithium were found in Karnataka, but the recent discovery of this large deposit in Reasi will be a boon for India's battery production plans as the country is exploring green solutions to problems created by climate change etc.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), global lithium production in 2019 stood at 77,000 tonnes.

With battery manufacturing expected to accelerate over the coming years, particularly as electric vehicles become more prevalent in key markets seeking to decarbonise, interest in the metal will continue to grow and analysts expect worldwide demand will more than double by 2024.

Vivek Bhardwaj, Union mines secretary, recently handed over two Major Mineral Blocks Geological Reports of Lithium Blocks in Jammu Division and G3 Study (Advanced Study) of Lithium, AI and Titanium in Jammu division, located in Reasi District to Secretary Mining J&K, Amit Sharma for taking further necessary action in the matter.

Amit Sharma told reporters that all necessary steps shall be taken in collaboration with the GSI and dedicated teams of the department will work round the clock to ensure that this historical feat of e-auctioning Major Mineral Blocks will take place in a time bound manner.

"Lithium blocks which are a rare thing and a much demanded global major mineral for electric batteries which is the future, shall be explored and e-auctioned so that J&K figures on the global map so far as availability of lithium reserves in the world is concerned," Sharma told reporters.