Haj application process to be simplified, says Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Union minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Indian government was trying to make applying for Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia hassle-free by encouraging more online applications.

Mr Naqvi said that a goodwill delegation representing Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Mecca and Medina during the 2016 Haj period and met Saudi Arabian government authorities to discuss various issues inconveniencing pilgrims.

After inaugurating a meeting of Haj committees, which comprised representatives from Indian states and union territories, Mr Naqvi said the central government was committed to provide the best of facilities for pilgrims and making online application for the same simple was one of them.

“This year around 4.5 lakh pilgrims went for Haj to complete the once-in-a-lifetime religious obligation from across India. Of them, nearly 45,843 pilgrims applied online, of whom 10,960 were from Maharashtra, the highest from among other states. We have been making efforts to make the process of online application simple and easy so that more people can apply online for the next Haj pilgrimage,” he said.

Mr Naqvi said the delegation sent by the Centre during Haj this year had tried to iron out many problems faced by the pilgrims and the Saudi government had been cooperative.

The delegation headed by chancellor of the Hyderbad-based Maulana Azad Urdu University, Zafar Sareshwala, had met representatives of the Saudi government regarding the pilgrimage tax introduced by that country from this year. Pilgrims going through Indian Haj committee pay around Rs 1.8-2.2 lakh and those opting for private tours have to shell out Rs 3.2-3.5 lakh. The additional tax of around $530 will escalate the costs by around Rs 35,000, as a result of which many Muslim groups had opposed the same.