Hajj to cost lesser this year: Sources

New Delhi [India], February 6 (ANI): Hajj pilgrims from India will have to pay less as compared to the previous year as the central government is considering to reduce the cost of the pilgrimage by Rs 50,000 per person, sources in  the Ministry of Minority Affairs said on Monday.
According to the sources, the application for the Hajj pilgrimage will be absolutely free which was Rs 400 last year.
"Hajj application will be free this time. All Hajj pilgrims will apply free of cost. This time the cost of Hajj pilgrimage will be cheaper by about Rs 50,000 per person. No extra charges will be demanded from them for carrying bags, suitcases, umbrellas, or sheets. However, the Muslims who will undertake the Hajj pilgrimage will buy their goods at their own level. Elderly, differently-abled and women will get priority. Any woman above 45 years of age can now apply for Hajj alone," sources said.
The sources further said that out of 1.75 lakh people apply for Hajj, 80 per cent of them will go through the Hajj committee while 20 per cent will go through private tour operators.
"The health check-ups will be done only at government health centres. Private hospital check-ups will not be valid. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has contacted the Ministry of Health in this regard. An officer from the Hajj Committee of every state will also go on Hajj," sources said.
There will be 25 points marked this time through which a pilgrim can proceed comfortably for his Hajj. Special arrangements will also be made for the children of single mothers, sources said.
The 25 marked points include Srinagar, Ranchi, Gaya, Guwahati, Indore, Bhopal, Mangaluru, Goa, Aurangabad, Banaras, Jaipur, Nagpur, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai, Vijayawada, Agartala etc.
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Hajj Committee announced that a record number of over 30,000 Muslims from Uttar Pradesh will undertake the Hajj pilgrimage this year, adding that women pilgrims will be able to go without a mahram- a man who accompanies a woman on the journey for Hajj.
"India has got a quota of 1 lakh 75 thousand pilgrims for Hajj 2023. And this time, a record number of over 30,000 Muslims from Uttar Pradesh will undertake Hajj pilgrimage this year," Uttar Pradesh Hajj Committee Chairperson and the Minister of State for Minority Welfare Muslim Waqf, Mohsin Raza, told reporters.
The Saudi Arabian government, in October, announced that mahram- a male blood relative with whom marriage is not permissible, is no longer required to accompany a woman pilgrim from any part of the world. (ANI)