New Delhi: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday said that the Hajj policy for 2024 has already been announced by the Government of India and applications for pilgrims have already been invited.
She thanked Saudi Arabia for extending special help and cooperation for the smooth conduct of Hajj not only every year but also particularly in Hajj 2023, where close to 47% of pilgrims who embarked on Hajj from India were women, including close to 4,000 women who went under the ‘Lady without Mahram’ category, which is an all-time high in the nation.
"The government of India as you all know is committed to making Hajj inclusive and accessible towards all segments of society, especially women and our Divyaangjan. It is also in line with the Prime Minister's vision to empower women and Divyaangjan", Irani said.
Earlier, while addressing the nation during the 103rd episode of his monthly radio broadcast. 'Mann Ki Baat', PM Modi termed the Hajj pilgrimage by Muslim women from India, without their male parents or custodians, as a 'huge transformation'. Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia is on an official visit to New Delhi. He held productive discussions with his Indian counterparts on how to further deepen the engagements and especially our cooperation for Hajj.
Both nations have agreed to continue to work together to make the Hajj process as convenient and as seamless as possible with the best provision of services for all Hajj pilgrims. His visit will go a long way in further strengthening the friendly ties.
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