Overview
- The 57‑day Amarnath Yatra formally began on Friday with the first batches leaving the twin base camps at Baltal and Nunwan and more than 12,000 devotees reported to have had darshan on opening day.
- Authorities have ordered that only pilgrims holding valid, date‑specific registration permits and issued RFID cards will be allowed to continue the pilgrimage, and officials have urged unregistered arrivals to defer travel.
- Security has been stepped up across transit corridors through a multi‑layered grid that includes army and paramilitary deployments, drones, CCTV and a declared No‑Flying Zone with helicopter services suspended for the Yatra.
- Officials have put in place reinforced medical and logistics measures including stationary first‑aid camps, life‑support ambulances on NH‑44, mountain rescue teams and route engineering work to manage high‑altitude risks.
- The Prime Minister urged pilgrims to spend at least 10% of their budget on Kashmiri goods to boost local livelihoods while limited tatkal slots and full registrations through July 9 mean many devotees will face waits before they can attempt the trek.