The government has decided to scrap the VIP quota for Hajj pilgrimage. At present 500 seats are reserved for the VIPs.
Meanwhile, it is being said that the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will return to pre-COVID pandemic levels in 2023.
Over 30,000 Muslims from Uttar Pradesh will undertake Hajj pilgrimage in 2023, the Uttar Pradesh Hajj Committee has informed. In a significant step, the women opting for Hajj pilgrimage, have been allowed to go without a ‘mahram’- a man who accompanies a woman on the journey for Hajj. In October 2022, Saudi Arabia had announced that mahram is no longer required to accompany a woman pilgrim.
“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, said.
While assuring better facilities for the Hajj pilgrims, the minister said that the Hajj policy 2023 will be issued and thereafter from the coming week and applications for Hajj 2023 will be started.
“For Hajj 2023, a notification will also be issued in two to four days. The government will provide better facilities to Hajj pilgrims. This time people will get a discount of 50 thousand to 1 lakh for Hajj,” informed Raza.
