New Delhi, Jan 16: Over 2,300 Muslim women from India will go on Haj this year without 'Mehram' or male companion as all those who applied under this category have been exempted from the lottery system, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Wednesday.
The Modi government had last year allowed women going to Haj without Mehram, which had resulted in about 1,300 Muslim women going for the pilgrimage without any male companion. They had been exempted from the lottery system.
Naqvi, while inaugurating the new office space of Haj Division at RK Puram here, said that for the first time after the Independence, 2,340 Muslim women have applied to go on Haj 2019 without Mehram.
This year too, on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minority Affairs Ministry has made arrangement to send these women on Haj without the lottery system, he was quoted as saying in a statement released from his office.
Women from all states are among the 2,340 that have applied to go on Haj 2019 without Mehram.
More than 2,67,000 applications had been received for Haj this year out of which 1,64,902 applications have been submitted online, Naqvi said.
A lottery is conducted to select the pilgrims as there is a fixed quota allotted by Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.
A record number of 1,75,025 Muslims, including about 48 per cent women, from India performed Haj in 2018 and that too without any subsidy, Naqvi said.
With the Goods and Services Tax on Haj pilgrimage reduced from 18 per cent to 5 per cent, about Rs 113 crore will be saved by Haj pilgrims this year, he said.
Reduction in GST on Haj pilgrimage will ensure significant decrease in air fare from various embarkation points.
Naqvi said that making the Haj process digital has helped in making it transparent and pro-pilgrims.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia Haj Consulate, Haj Committee of India and other agencies concerned, has completed preparations for the pilgrimage three months before schedule to ensure that the pilgrimage is more comfortable for the pilgrims.
Addressing Kannadiga delegates from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other countries through a video conference, Dr Narayan also assured that necessary steps will be taken by the Karnataka government to provide free quarantine facility for those who cannot afford private quarantine in hotels or guest houses. The video conference was organised by coastaldigest.com.
Comments
Who is this Naqvi. I am sure that he is agent of bjp and sangh parivar who are trying their best to divide muslim community by using name sake muslims. Womens claimed by this creature who are going to perform haj without mahram are paid by them and they are doing it only to cheat muslim community. Real and practicing muslim women will not trust these anti muslims. Tomrrow this creature will declare that all the women who will go to haj without mahram will do the pilgrimage without purdah and will be in modern dress (jeans / t shirt). I pray Allah to give right way of thinking to these people and in case they have no Hidayat let them meet the ground and be punished in this life itself. MJ Akbar, Shahnawaz, Mukhtar etc are paid by sangh parivar for working against islam + muslims. I doubt if these creatures are muslims or might be non-muslims with muslim names only to misguide uneducated muslim women.
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