The Centre has begun preparations for Haj 2027 following the successful completion of Haj 2026, during which around 1.75 lakh Indian pilgrims undertook the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday.
Chairing a Haj Review Meeting in New Delhi, Rijiju reviewed the conduct of Haj 2026 and directed all stakeholders to initiate preparations for next year’s pilgrimage on priority. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministries of Minority Affairs, External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Health and Family Welfare, Home Affairs, as well as representatives of the Haj Committee of India and other agencies.
The minister expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for Indian pilgrims and credited the coordinated efforts of various ministries, the Haj Committee of India, state Haj committees, the Indian Haj Mission in Saudi Arabia and Saudi authorities for ensuring a smooth pilgrimage.
In a first, the Indian Haj Mission received two Labbaytum Awards from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in the category of Best Haj Coordination and Communication. The awards recognised India’s efforts in facilitating and supporting pilgrims during Haj 2026.
Several new initiatives were introduced this year, including sofa-cum-beds in Mina, hotel-style accommodation in Makkah and a 20-day Short Haj Package, which was availed by around 10,500 pilgrims. Around 62,500 pilgrims also travelled between Makkah and Madinah using the high-speed railway network.
The government said technology played a key role in improving service delivery through integration with Saudi Arabia’s Nusuk platform, online flight bookings and a strengthened digital grievance redressal system. Officials also discussed the wider use of artificial intelligence for Haj 2027, including multilingual voice-based support, document verification, flight allocation planning and real-time grievance monitoring.
Rijiju said Haj Policy 2027 would be announced shortly, after which the Haj Committee of India would invite applications from prospective pilgrims. He added that India and Saudi Arabia are scheduled to sign the bilateral agreement for Haj 2027 on November 7 this year.
