Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh flagged-off first batch of 1282 Amarnath Yatris, who left for the holy cave shrine from Jammu amid tight security on Friday morning.
The batch of pilgrims, comprising of 900 men, 225 women and 13 children, left from Bhagwati Nagar at 5 a.m.
The authorities have made elaborate arrangements for boarding and lodging of yatris in Jammu and other parts of the State.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will today visit Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had earlier this month conducted mock exercises at Baltal and Pahalgam base camps to assess the preparedness and response mechanism of all those involved in management of the Yatra.
The pilgrims will reach the base camps of Nunwan Pahalgam in Anantnag District and Baltal in Ganderbal District this evening.
