Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament for Varanasi. Modi is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. He is the first prime minister outside of the Indian National Congress to win two consecutive terms with a full majority and the second to complete five years in office after Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Char Dham Yatra begins with the opening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri temples in the Uttarkashi district. Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district opens on May 6 and Badrinath in Chamoli district on May 8.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to visit Kedarnath after it reopens for devotees. But the date of his visit is yet to be finalised.
A record number of pilgrims are likely to come this year for the yatra, which is taking place without the Covid-induced restrictions for the first time in two years.
As per the PTI news agency, Uttarakhand Tourism Secretary Dilip Jawalkar said from May 3 to May 31, 15,829 pilgrims registered for Yamunotri, 16,804 for Gangotri, 41,107 for Kedarnath, and 29,488 for Badrinath.