50% of applicants this year are women: Minister

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said that India is likely to overtake Pakistan in terms of the number of pilgrims sent for Haj pilgrimage this year. Mr. Naqvi was in Mumbai on Saturday to inaugurate a two-day training camp of Khadim Ul Hujjaj that saw members from across the country gather at the Haj House near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. “From our country, Muslims participate in Haj in huge numbers. There are two Islamic countries – Indonesia, from where around 2 lakh people participate and then there is Pakistan from where 1,84,000 people participate. As of today, India already has over 1,75,000 participants and we are aiming to supersede Pakistan this year,” Mr. Naqvi said while addressing the Khadims. According to Mr. Naqvi, of the total number of applications received by the Haj Committee of India, around 50% were from women. He also said that there was a gradual rise in the number of women willing to participate in the pilgrimage without a mehram (male companion). According to Mr. Naqvi, digitising the application process and reduction in the GST on Haj yielded significant results. “We made the process online this time. As a result, approximately 40% applications were received through the online medium. The GST was reduced from 18% to 5% on Haj. We will also ensure a significant drop in the airfare on nine of the 21 embarkation points in the country,” he said. The Minister added that the number of women participating without male companions has also shot up. “Last year, we had around 1,300 women undertaking Haj without male companions. This year, that number has gone up to 2,340.” He said the government was tightening its leash on private tour operators who will now have to disclose every detail on a portal. “The PTOs will have to disclose details regarding those they are ferrying, rental costs and total expenditure. We have even blacklisted some tour operators,” he said.

Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/india-set-to-overtake-pakistan-in-number-of-haj-pilgrims-naqvi/article26227784.ece

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