15 July : The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is organized for citizens of India by the Ministry of External Affairs in sixteen batches of upto 60 persons each from 1 June to the end of September every year in coordination with the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). An advertisement seeking applications is carried in several newspapers and on Doordarshan and AIR in January every year. The selection of the Yatris is done through a computer generated gender balanced random selection process. In 2009, each Yatri is required to pay an amount of Rs. 20,000/- [Rupees Twenty thousand only] to KMVN and US$ 700/- [US Dollars Seven hundred only] to the Chinese side. Government does not provide subsidy to the Yatris.
Government is aware that Chinese authorities at the border customs point in Lipulekh Pass are not permitting liquid and semi-liquid items to be carried into the People’s Republic of China. It is the sovereign right of a country to regulate movement of goods across international borders. The matter has not been taken up with the Chinese side.
This information was given by Smt. Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs in reply to a question by Shri Ganesh Singh, Dr. Rajan Sushant and Shri Anurag Singh Thakur in Lok Sabha today.