India and Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed a bilateral agreement under which New Delhi has been allocated a quota of more than 1.75 lakh pilgrims for the 2024 annual Haj pilgrimage.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Irani, accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024 with Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah in Jeddah.
This accord will notably support first-time pilgrims aiming to embark on the Haj pilgrimage in 2024, with 35,005 pilgrims authorised to travel through private operators.
According to an official statement, a total quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims from India have been finalised for Haj 2024 with 1,40,020 seats being reserved for pilgrims to proceed through Haj Committee, whereas 35,005 pilgrims would be permitted to proceed through private operators.
During the meeting with the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, the digital initiatives of the Indian government in facilitating and promoting ease and convenience for the Indian Haj pilgrims by providing last-mile information to the pilgrims were greatly appreciated by Saudi Arabia.
The initiative by the Indian government towards encouraging participation under the Ladies without Mehram (LWM) category was also discussed and lauded.
Subsequent to the signing of the Bilateral Haj Agreement and the meeting with the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, KSA, Smriti Irani, accompanied by Muraleedharan, visited the Haj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, to oversee the arrangements for Haj pilgrims and explore ways to facilitate better logistics and monitoring mechanism for the convenience of the Indian Haj pilgrims.