03 April,2023 05:48 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representative Image. Pic/iStock
The government on Monday said that as many as 4,314 women without mehram will take a pilgrimage for Haj to Saudi Arabia this year from India, making it the largest ever contingent to proceed for the pilgrimage without a male member.
An official spokesperson said that for Haj 2023, out of a total of 1.84 lakh applications received, 14,935 Haj applicants have been given assured allotment including 10,621 in 70+ age category.
He said the Ministry of Minority Affairs has taken several initiatives to make Haj pilgrimage more comfortable, convenient and affordable for the Indian pilgrims. Dedicated efforts have also been made to make the process of pilgrim selection objective, transparent, efficient, timely and without human involvement.
The applications received over and above the Haj quota have been finalised through an Online Randomized Digital Selection (ORDS) process, without any human intervention. It is for the first time that the list of selected and waitlisted applicants has been published on the official portal immediately after the selection process, for the general public, in the interest of increased transparency. All 1.4 Lakhs selected pilgrims have been sent SMS informing them of their selection for Haj 2023. SMS has also been sent to waitlisted pilgrims informing them about their waitlisted status and position in the waitlist, the spokesperson said in a statement.
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The Ministry of Minority Affairs has also partnered with State Bank of India (SBI) to make special arrangements to provide Forex facilities to the pilgrims.
Unlike earlier years, when each pilgrim was made available 2100 Riyals by the Haj Committee of India, irrespective of his actual requirements, Haj Policy 2023 gives the option and flexibility to the pilgrims to arrange their own foreign currency or take lesser foreign exchange, as per their individual requirements.
