According to reports, Hajj pilgrims from India would have to pay less this year than the previous year since the central government is considering reducing the cost of the journey by Rs 50,000 per person.
According to reports, the application for the Hajj trip, which cost Rs 400 last year, would be completely free.
“This time, the Hajj application will be free. All Hajj pilgrims will be able to apply for free. This year, the cost of the Hajj pilgrimage would be reduced by around Rs 50,000 per individual. They will not be charged extra for carrying bags, luggage, umbrellas, or bedding. Muslims who will perform the Hajj trip, on the other hand, will purchase their items at their own level.
Priority will be given to the elderly, those with disabilities, and women. “Any woman over the age of 45 can now apply for Hajj on her own,” according to reports. According to the sources, out of the 1.75 lakh persons who apply for Hajj, 80% will travel through the Hajj committee and 20% would go through private tour operators.
“The health check-ups will be done only at government health centres. Private hospital check-ups will not be valid. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has contacted the Ministry of Health in this regard. An officer from the Hajj Committee of every state will also go on Hajj,” sources said.
This time, there will be 25 sites identified via which a pilgrim can safely travel for his Hajj. According to insiders, special preparations will also be made for the children of single moms. Srinagar, Ranchi, Gaya, Guwahati, Indore, Bhopal, Mangaluru, Goa, Aurangabad, Banaras, Jaipur, Nagpur, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Vijayawada, Agartala, and other cities are among the 25 highlighted places.
The Uttar Pradesh Hajj Committee previously said that a record number of over 30,000 Muslims from Uttar Pradesh will undertake the Hajj trip this year, adding that women pilgrims will be permitted to go without a mahram- a male who accompanies a lady on the Hajj voyage.
“India has got a quota of 1 lakh 75 thousand pilgrims for Hajj 2023. And this time, a record number of over 30,000 Muslims from Uttar Pradesh will undertake Hajj pilgrimage this year,” Uttar Pradesh Hajj Committee Chairperson and the Minister of State for Minority Welfare Muslim Waqf, Mohsin Raza, told reporters.
In October, the Saudi government stated that a mahram, a male blood relative with whom marriage is not permitted, is no longer necessary to accompany a lady pilgrim from anywhere in the globe.
