After 2 yrs, 79,237 pilgrims to go for Haj 2022

After a two-year Covid hiatus, 79,237 people, including 50 per cent women, will go for Haj 2022, stated Union minister for minority affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, while inaugurating the training camp of “Khadim Ul Hujjaj” (Haj volunteer committee) at the city's Haj House on Saturday.

In the two-day training camp, more than 400 volunteers, including 12 women, from all the states have participated. They will be trained by officials from the Haj Committee, the BMC, disaster management agencies, doctors, officials from airlines, and customs and immigration. Knowing all the processes related to accommodation, transport, health and safety, these volunteers will be helping the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

Of the total pilgrims, 56,601 people will go on the pious journey through Haj Committee of India and the remaining 22,636 will go through Haj Group Organisers (HGOs), the entire process of which has been made online, Naqvi apprised.

He further said that more than 1,800 women will go without “mehram” (male companion) and all of them will go to Haj without lottery system. A total of 83,140 applications had been received for this year's Haj.

Given the Covid concern, the entire Haj 2022 process has been chalked out with necessary guidelines of the Indian Government as well as the Saudi Arabia Government. It's mandatory for the pilgrims to be fully-vaccinated as well as fulfil the necessary norms decided by the Centre and the Saudi Arabia Government.

Speaking further, the minister said, “We are making all our efforts to ensure there is no additional financial burden on the pilgrims as they will perform the Haj without any subsidy. The process is going on to take accommodation, transportation and other necessary facilities in Saudi Arabia at affordable prices.”