The Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, informed that over 2,300 muslim women from India will go on the Haj pilgrim this year without the mehram ( male companion). The Modi government had lifted the ban on women going to Haj without their male companions last year which had resulted in 1,300 women going for Haj without their male companions in 2018.

While inaugurating the new office space of the Haj Division, Minority Affairs Ministry, at RK Puram in New Delhi, Naqvi said, “Like last year, this year too, on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minority Affairs Ministry has made arrangements to send these women on Haj without a lottery system.”

He informed that the ministry received over 2,67,000 applications for Haj 2019 out of which 1,64,902 applications were made online. The minister commented, “Making the Haj process digital has helped to make the entire process transparent and pro-pilgrims. A record 1,75,025 muslims from India performed Haj 2018 of which 48 per cent was comprised by women.”

Naqvi further elaborated that the GST on Haj pilgrimage has been reduced from 18 per cent to 5 per cent which will ensure that about Rs 113 crore will be saved by the Haj pilgrims during 2019. “The reduction in GST will also ensure a significant decrease in air fares from various embarkation points.”

The air fare from Srinagar will be reduced by Rs 11377.07, from Ahmedabad it will be reduced by Rs 7305.95; from Aurangabad by Rs 9373.68; from Delhi by Rs 7967.62; from Gaya by Rs 11027.85; from Guwahati by Rs 13049.63; from Ranchi by Rs 11946.84; from Kolkata by Rs 9787.22, and from Hydebarad the air fare will be reduced by Rs 7204.87 this year.

The minister added, “The Ministry of Minority Affairs, in cooperation with the Saudi Arabia Haj Consulate, Haj Committee of India and other concerned agencies, has completed 2019 Haj preparations three months before the schedule to make this Haj more comfortable for the pilgrims.”