Haj 2023: Quota Raised, Package Cost Reduced, More Embarkation Points
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2023-02-10 03:42:24
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
There is
good news for Haj pilgrims, especially single women above 45 who wish to go on
the pilgrimage. The government has come out with a new Haj policy which builds
on the earlier (2018-2022) one. This time, the package cost for the pilgrimage has been reduced by up to Rs 50000 and new embarkation points have been added taking the total to 25. Application
forms have also been made free for the first time. Further, Saudi Arabia has
increased the Indian Haj quota to 1.75 lakh this year (the number was just
79237 last year). The government has allotted 90% of the quota to the Haj
Committee of India (HCI) and the rest to private operators. In a significant
move, one that is likely to do away with corruption and influence-peddling, the
government has also given up its discretionary quota by merging it with the HCI
quota.
The
embarkation points have been increased to provide relief to Haj pilgrims in far
off areas such as Agartala, for example, which is now one of the new
embarkation points. The Haj package cost has been reduced by putting the onus
of arranging foreign exchange and items such as umbrellas, bags and bed sheets
on the pilgrims. Earlier, they had to deposit the money for these with the HCI.
This is a relief as the Haj cost was raised by 50% to Rs 399500 in 2022, up
from Rs 269700 in 2019. The government will make special arrangements for
women, infants, persons with disabilities and the elderly.
But the
most significant change is in allowing single women above 45 to apply as
individuals (subject to the terms of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). Earlier, these
individuals had to form a group by themselves to apply. But now the HCI will
try to form a group of such individual women to satisfy the terms of the Saudi
authorities. This will allow such single women who do not find group partners
to undertake the pilgrimage. In successive Haj policies, the Centre has been
trying to make the pilgrimage less costly and ensure that people from all over
India can experience it without facing problems. It has also been focusing on
women, the elderly and persons with disabilities. This is welcome.
Picture courtesy: Deccan Herald (caption ours)
