Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that a record number of two lakh Indian Muslims will go to Haj this year without any subsidy.
Mr Naqvi said this while inaugurating a two-day ‘orientation-cum-training programme' for Haj 2019 deputationists in New Delhi yesterday. He said, nearly 48 per cent of the pilgrims are women.
The Minister said, even after removal of Haj subsidy, there is no unnecessary financial burden on the Haj pilgrims. He said the Central Government has taken effective steps to ensure safety and better facilities of the pilgrims.
Mr Naqvi emphasised that no negligence will be tolerated in this regard. He added that a total of 620 Haj coordinators, Assistant Haj Officers, Haj Assistants, Doctors and Paramedics have been deployed in Saudi Arabia to assist the pilgrims.
The Minister also informed that the number of women Haj pilgrims going without Mehram this year is double in comparison to last year. A total of 2,340 Muslim women from India will go for Haj without Mehram this year while 1180 women had performed Haj last year without Mehram.
