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Registration for low-cost Haj begins

August 17, 2015

Jeddah, Aug 17: Residents who want to benefit from the government’s low¬cost Haj scheme can now register themselves on the localhaj.haj.gov.sa website. Because of the limited quota, the registration should be done early.

hajj

The process began on Sunday (Dul Qaada 1) and packages available start from SR3,000.

Majid Siddique, media coordinator for the Siddique Haj Group, told Arab News that the ministry has started online registration for normal and low-cost Haj.

He explained that the quota is very limited this year — about 41,000 — with around 40 operators’ prices ranging from SR3,000 to SR5,250, depending on the location of the tents in Mina and transportation. One should expect minimum services in the low-cost category.

His group is offering packages for normal Haj from SR5,893 to SR7,000.

According to the Ministry of Haj, there are six low-fare Haj categories depending on availability of transportation by buses and trains. Children are not allowed in low-cost Haj, and the pilgrims will be provided with normal tents.

According to the ministry, the normal Haj charges range from SR7,546 to SR8,146.

In the normal and VIP Haj category, tents are prepared with gypsum board and aluminum doors. Facilities given to them are air conditioning, speakers, sofa beds, pillows, sheet sets, comforters, shelves for luggage and shoes, carpets, artificial grass walkways, Wi-Fi, toilets (one for each 30 Hajis and one for special-needs pilgrims), sanitary items, medical clinic, religious guide and security guards.

The ministry has said that bookings for all categories of local Haj should be done online through its portal http://localhaj.haj.gov.sa

Meanwhile, 18 Saudi transport companies have prepared 17,700 well-equipped buses — 1,698 of them new — to ferry 1.3 million pilgrims coming from abroad.

A private transport official said the government wants to offer best services to the pilgrims and help them perform Haj with safety, ease and comfort. As part of preparations, Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar has authorized three new companies that have 150 buses.

Another transport official said that every year buses in poor condition are replaced by new ones to ensure safety of the pilgrims.

He said there are 24,000 jobs for drivers and technicians for the season provided by the transport companies.

He added that the impact of the Al-Mashaer Metro is still limited because the metro is only available on one line.

A total of 240 Haj campaigns are ready to take care of 200,000 local pilgrims, local media has reported.

Ministry Undersecretary Hussien Al-Sharief was quoted as saying that more than 200 companies have already registered their services on its website.

He called on these companies to be quick on entering their bank account numbers on the electronic portal for those who are interested in doing Haj.

He said as of this year the number of domestic pilgrims will once again be the same as in previous years because of the expansion at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. Because of this, new companies are being allowed to offer services.

Al-Sharief said that after the end of the Haj season, there will be an evaluation of the level of performance of the electronic portal and of the special prices relating to different paths.

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Agencies
May 31,2020

Riyadh, May 31: Over 90,000 mosques in Saudi Arabia reopened their doors to worshippers on Sunday morning after over a two-month closure as part of an ease in the curfew restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The worshipers were allowed to enter the mosques, except the mosques in Makkah, from Fajr prayers today morning (Shawwal 8) with a limit of 40 per cent capacity.

The reopening of mosques was be undertaken in accordance with the guidance of Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Abdullatif Al Asheikh, and in line with advice issued by the Senior Council of Ulemas.

The ministry has embarked on a vigorous media campaign to urge all worshippers to abide by preventive measures for their own safety to curb the spread of Covid-19.Among the instructions are doing ablution at home, hand-washing and using sanitisers before going out to the mosque and after coming back home.

On Saturday, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved opening the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah in stages to the public.

The elderly and those with chronic diseases are advised to perform their prayers at home. Reading and reciting the Holy Quran online is advised, too, from one's own mobile phone or at least reading from a privately owned copy of the Holy Quran.

Bringing one's prayer mat to perform prayers in mosques is highly recommended as well as keeping a two-metre distance between one another prayer.

Accompanying children under the age of 15 to the mosques is prohibited. Putting on a face mask and avoiding shaking hands and other contact is also recommended.

Meanwhile, the ministry managed, during the closure of mosques, to undertaking a massive cleaning, sanitising and maintenance drive in all mosques Kingdom-wide, according to world-class standards and best known practices. This included sanitising over 10 million mosques, 43 million copies of several sizes and volumes of the Quran, more than 600,000 Holy Quran cupboards, in addition to repairing and maintaining about 176,000

water closets, annexed to mosques.

 

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News Network
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: A heart-broken father who lost his 19-year-old son in a tragic car accident during Christmas last year has sponsored the repatriation costs of 61 Indians stranded in the UAE.

 The special flydubai repatriation flight, chartered by the All Kerala Colleges Alumni Federation (Akcaf) volunteer group, of which he is a member of, departed from Dubai to Kochi on July 25 carrying 199 passengers.

 On this particular flight, I sponsored 55 air tickets," said TN Krishnakumar, a sales and marketing director. He had lost his son Rohit Krishnakumar in a car accident, which also claimed the life of the teen's friend, Sharat Kumar (21).

"All passengers who were registered with the Indian missions were also asked to register on the Akcaf volunteer group website. Each passenger was further vetted, after which we made home visits to ensure that all the applicants were genuinely in need of financial support and repatriation," he said.

Commenting on what inspired him to dedicate himself to community work, Krishankumar said: "When a situation like this comes up, you realise there is no meaning in money. I invested everything I made into my son, and that had crashed in front of my eyes. He was a third-year medical student at the University of Manchester in the UK and had returned home for a vacation when the accident took place. Since then, I have been involved in a lot of social activities. If I do not do this, there is no meaning to my existence."

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Krishnakumar said the group has supported thousands of individuals in need of help. "We supported unemployed people with several hundred bags of grocery kits and other necessary items. We also supported Covid-19 patients by transferring them to the medical facility in Warsan, etc.," he said.

"I come from a very middle-class family. I got a scholarship to study in college, and I studied with the help of taxpayers' money. I have always wanted to give back to society. I have grown immensely in life and now is my time to give back.," he added.

Krishnakumar also sponsors the education of over 1,000 academically gifted school children in Kerala's government-aided schools. He is a life trustee at the College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Galaxy Charitable Trust and an active participant towards various educational causes.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Riyadh, Jul 5: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved the extension of the validity of the expired iqama (residency permit) and exit and reentry visas of expatriates who are outside the Kingdom for a period of three months without any fee.

The iqama of expatriates inside the Kingdom as well as the visa of visitors who are in the Kingdom of which the validity expires during the period of suspension of entry and exit from the Kingdom will also be extended for a period of three months without any charge.

The validity of final exit visas as well as exit and reentry visas issued for expatriates, who are in the Kingdom, but were not used during the lockdown period will be extended for a period of three months without any fee, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting an official source at the Ministry of Interior.

The ministry source said that these measures were taken as part of the continuous efforts made by the government of King Salman to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on individuals as well as on private sector establishments and investors, economic activities in the Kingdom, following the adoption of the preventive measures to stem the spread of the pandemic.

The beneficiaries of the King’s order include all expatriates who are outside the Kingdom on exit and reentry visas, which expired during the lockdown period and after lifting of the lockdown.

These expatriates are not in a position to return to the Kingdom due to the enforcement of suspension of international flight service and temporary ban on entry and exit from the Kingdom.

The beneficiaries also include those expatriates who are still in the Kingdom after issuance of final exit visas or exit and reentry visas but could not travel because of the suspension of entry and exit from the Kingdom.

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