New Delhi: Indian Muslim pilgrims were able to perform the Haj pilgrimage last year after a gap of 2 years due to the spread of Corona virus. Saudi authorities also issued corona related guidelines to the pilgrims.
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Smriti Irani’s reply to a question from a member of the Lok Sabha is as follows:
The Union Ministry of Minority Welfare held several consultations with all the concerned parties including the Haj Committees of the States and Union Territories regarding the management of Haj. There were demands to restore the previous Haj quota for India.
In this case, this issue has been resolved under the annual bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia regarding Hajj. The earlier quota for India has been restored despite the threat of coronavirus. According to this, 1,75,025 pilgrims from India will be able to perform Hajj in 2023.
Minister Smriti Irani has said this in her reply.
Online application process for Hajj 2023 is not yet started. The first group of pilgrims for the Hajj will depart in May or June, according to a timetable shared by Saudi authorities.
