New Delhi: Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Saturday that the government is making all out efforts to ensure that there is no additional financial burden on the Haj pilgrims, who would take up the pilgrimage this year without any subsidy. “Process is going on to make accommodation, transportation and other necessary facilities in Saudi Arabia at affordable prices” the minister said while inaugurating two-day training camp of ‘Khadim Ul Hujjaj’ for Haj 2022 at Haj House in Mumbai today. The minister said Haj 2022 is taking place with significant reforms, giving utmost priority to health and well-being of the pilgrims. “Haj 2022 process has been chalked out with necessary guidelines of government of India and Saudi Arabia which includes eligibility criteria, age limit, health-related requirements, among other things,” he said, while noting that the pilgrimage could not take place for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking about the other facilities the Minister said that the entire process of Haj 2022 is hundred percent digital to make it transparent, affordable and and convenient to the pilgrims. “Digital Health Card -E-MASIHA, health facility, E-luggage pre-tagging , and all other information regarding accommodation transportation in Makkah-Madinah, will be provided to Haj pilgrims” he said. The Minister informed that 79,237 Indian Muslims will go on Haj 2022, out of whom 50 per cent are women. “Indian Haj pilgrims will go from 10 Embarkation Points across the country. More than 1800 Muslim women will go for Haj 2022 without ‘Mehram’ (male companion)” Naqvi said. The pilgrims will go through Haj Committee of India from 10 embarcation points which include, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cochin, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Srinagar, he said. More than 400 ‘Khadim-ul-Hujjaj’, including 12 women, from across the country have participated in the two-day training programme. The ‘Khadim-ul-Hujjaj” will assist Indian pilgrims in Makkah-Madinah. UNI JA RKM
