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NEW DELHI: India has been given a quota of around 1. 75 lakh for Haj this year and under the new Haj policy, 90% of the total quota will be allocated to the Haj Committee of India and the remaining will be allocated to private operators. The government is yet to open applications for Haj this year.
The 2023 policy also states that the entire government discretionary quota had been cancelled and will be merged into the general pool.
Under the new policy, special arrangements will be made for women, infants, persons with disabilities and the elderly. There will be 25 embarkation points for Haj-2023. This a marked increase and will help connect people in distant places like Agartala which is a new embarkation point. While single women above 45 years can apply by themselves, “subject to the terms of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. . . the Haj Committee of India may form a grouping with the women who applied under the category”.
The ministry of minority affairs tweeted: the “new landmark Haj policy will bring financial relief to pilgrims. Application forms are now free for the first time. Haj package costs have been reduced by approximately Rs50,000”.
Haj package costs have been reduced as the money that was deposited with the Haj Committee for foreign exchange and items such as umbrella, bags and bed sheets would not be charged and these things could be arranged by the pilgrims themselves, sources said.
The policy says persons with benchmark disability/ disabilities who cannot travel alone, as certified by the medical authorities, must be accompanied by an “able-bodied person” who should be a blood relation. “In view of the hardships faced by the single 70-plus pilgrims, a companion is a must. If husband and wife are travelling and both are above 70 years , they will be allowed two companions, who will be blood relation of pilgrims,” it says.
The 2023 policy also states that the entire government discretionary quota had been cancelled and will be merged into the general pool.
Under the new policy, special arrangements will be made for women, infants, persons with disabilities and the elderly. There will be 25 embarkation points for Haj-2023. This a marked increase and will help connect people in distant places like Agartala which is a new embarkation point. While single women above 45 years can apply by themselves, “subject to the terms of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. . . the Haj Committee of India may form a grouping with the women who applied under the category”.
The ministry of minority affairs tweeted: the “new landmark Haj policy will bring financial relief to pilgrims. Application forms are now free for the first time. Haj package costs have been reduced by approximately Rs50,000”.
Haj package costs have been reduced as the money that was deposited with the Haj Committee for foreign exchange and items such as umbrella, bags and bed sheets would not be charged and these things could be arranged by the pilgrims themselves, sources said.
The policy says persons with benchmark disability/ disabilities who cannot travel alone, as certified by the medical authorities, must be accompanied by an “able-bodied person” who should be a blood relation. “In view of the hardships faced by the single 70-plus pilgrims, a companion is a must. If husband and wife are travelling and both are above 70 years , they will be allowed two companions, who will be blood relation of pilgrims,” it says.
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