‘Saudi Arabia raises India’s Hajj quota by 30,000’

In a significant step, Saudi Arabia has increased India’s Hajj quota from 170,000 to 200,000, paving the way for 30,000 more Indians to go for the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in the kingdom.

 The issue of India’sHajj quota was discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral talkswith Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman here.

   

Modi, who is in Japan for the G20 Summit, discussed thedeepening cooperation in trade and investment, energy security andcounter-terrorism with the “invaluable strategic partner”.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, ForeignSecretary Vijay Gokhale said that the Crown Prince had promised Prime MinisterModi that India’s Hajj quota would be raised from 170,000 to 200,000 annually.

“This is important and this has been done,” hesaid.

Two lakh Indians will have the opportunity to go for Hajjwhich will begin very shortly, Gokhale said.

The two leaders also spoke about the need for greatertourism, more flights and agreed to meet again, he said.

The Saudi Crown Prince has also invited the Prime Ministerto be one of the main guests at an international conference later this year andhe has accepted the invitation with pleasure, the Foreign Secretary said.

The government last year allowed women to go on Hajj without’Mehram’ or male companion, which saw about 1,300 women going without any malecompanion. They had been exempted from the lottery system.

Last year, Saudi Arabia increased India’s Hajj quota by5,000, while in 2017 it was increased by about 35,000.The Hajj subsidy provided by the government wasremoved last year in the light of a Supreme Court order of 2012.

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