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The first batch of 410 Haj pilgrims was flagged by Naqvi yesterday. Over 1,200 Haj pilgrims left from Delhi for Saudi Arabia in three flights on Saturday.
Besides Delhi, 450 pilgrims from Gaya, 269 from Guwahati, 900 from Lucknow and 1,020 pilgrims from Srinagar also left for Saudi Arabia for Haj.
Speaking to PTI over phone from Saudi Arabia, Indian Consul General in Jeddah Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh said he, along with the Indian Ambbadador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Javed, received the first batch of pilgrims in Madina.
Naqvi said that despite the abolition of the Haj subsidy, the cost of the pilgrimage has increased only marginally and there is "no undue burden" on the people.
"People used to think that with the abolition of the subsidy, Haj would have become 3-4 times costlier, that has not happened." "If there is an increase, it is marginal," he told PTI in an interview.
The government said that it would not be subsidized for this purpose and that it would be used to provide education to the people belonging to minority communities.
"It would be a landmark for Haj, and also this pilgrimage is taking place under the new Haj policy," Naqvi said.
The Union Minister said that Independence, a record of 1.75,025 Indians would be going for that year, of which about 47 per cent are female. He also pointed out that this is the first time that Mehram or male guardian, women are going for Haj.
Asked about the opposition, Naqvi said this was "factually incorrect". Saudi side and the Indian government had to go to Haj without Mehram.
Women without Mehram used to go from Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia and many other Islamic countries, he said. "We asked that they said they should not be barred, they should be above and they should be in a group of four (to go without Mehram)," the minister said.
Indian Consul General Sheikh said that they are traveling in the United States and have made their own accommodations.
Another notable feature of this year's pilgrimage is that of the 600 Haj coordinators and badistants, 100 are women, Naqvi said.
Talking about the facilities for the 1,28,702 Haj pilgrims traveling through the Haj Committee of India, Naqvi said, has been improved, especially at Arafat, has been made more comfortable, and medical facilities have been boosted.
Sheikh said all the preparations were complete and this time had been made to facilitate the use of Haj with new features added to the Haj App being used by Indian pilgrims from 2014.
He said that they were much better off in Madina than they had inspected the places before hiring them.
Asked about his message to Haj pilgrims, Naqvi said the Saudi government always praises Indian pilgrims, so they must follow the norms and perform Haj successfully.
The efforts to revive the option of sending pilgrims for Haj by sea, Naqvi said the government was trying to make it operational by next year.
"That is why we have floated a global tender." Some offers are coming from Singapore, Saudi Arabia, India and other countries … Process is on and we want that the 2019 Haj takes place by ship said.
On Tuesday pilgrims from Kolkata, on July 20 from Varanasi, on July 21 from Mangalore, on July 26 from Goa and on July 29 pilgrims from Aurangabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Nagpur, will embark on Haj. On July 30, pilgrims from Ranchi, on August 1 pilgrims from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Hyderabad and Jaipur, and on August 3, pilgrims from Bhopal will go for Haj.Naqvi hails 2018 Haj as 'landmark' pilgrimage, first batch of pilgrims Saudi Arabia By Asim Kamal
NEW DELHI: This year's Haj would be a "landmark" pilgrimage for Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today.
The first batch of 410 Haj pilgrims was flagged by Naqvi yesterday. Over 1,200 Haj pilgrims left from Delhi for Saudi Arabia in three flights yesterday.
Besides Delhi, 450 pilgrims from Gaya, 269 from Guwahati, 900 from Lucknow and 1,020 pilgrims from Srinagar also left for Saudi Arabia for Haj.
Speaking to PTI over phone from Saudi Arabia, Indian Consul General in Jeddah Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh said he, along with the Indian Ambbadador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Javed, received the first batch of pilgrims in Madina.
Naqvi said that despite the abolition of the Haj subsidy, the cost of the pilgrimage has increased only marginally and there is "no undue burden" on the people.
"People used to think that with the abolition of the subsidy, Haj would have become 3-4 times costlier, that has not happened." "If there is an increase, it is marginal," he told PTI in an interview.
The government said that it would not be subsidized for this purpose and that it would be used to provide education to the people belonging to minority communities.
"It would be a landmark for Haj, and also this pilgrimage is taking place under the new Haj policy," Naqvi said.
The Union Minister said that Independence, a record of 1.75,025 Indians would be going for that year, of which about 47 per cent are female. He also pointed out that this is the first time that Mehram or male guardian, women are going for Haj.
Asked about the opposition, Naqvi said this was "factually incorrect". Saudi side and the Indian government had to go to Haj without Mehram.
Women without Mehram used to go from Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia and many other Islamic countries, he said. "We asked that they said they should not be barred, they should be above and they should be in a group of four (to go without Mehram)," the minister said.
Indian Consul General Sheikh said that they are traveling in the United States and have made their own accommodations.
Another notable feature of this year's pilgrimage is that of the 600 Haj coordinators and badistants, 100 are women, Naqvi said.
Talking about the facilities for the 1,28,702 Haj pilgrims traveling through the Haj Committee of India, Naqvi said, has been improved, especially at Arafat, has been made more comfortable, and medical facilities have been boosted.
Sheikh said all the preparations were complete and this time had been made to facilitate the use of Haj with new features added to the Haj App being used by Indian pilgrims from 2014.
He said that they were much better off in Madina than they had inspected the places before hiring them.
Asked about his message to Haj pilgrims, Naqvi said the Saudi government always praises Indian pilgrims, so they must follow the norms and perform Haj successfully.
On efforts to revive the option of sending pilgrims for Haj by sea, Naqvi said the government was trying to make it operational by next year.
"That is why we have floated a global tender." Some offers are coming from Singapore, Saudi Arabia, India and other countries … Haj takes place by ship as well said.
On Tuesday pilgrims from Kolkata, on July 20 from Varanasi, on July 21 from Mangalore, on July 26 from Goa and on July 29 pilgrims from Aurangabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Nagpur, will embark on Haj. On July 30, pilgrims from Ranchi, on August 1 pilgrims from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Hyderabad and Jaipur, and on August 3, pilgrims from Bhopal will go for Haj.
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