Lok Sabha Question No. 978 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-08
Subject: Haj Slots for Ladies Without Mahram
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Umesh G. Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 978

ANSWERED ON 08.02.2024

## HAJ SLOTS FOR LADIES WITHOUT MAHRAM

978. DR. UMESH G. JADHAV:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the noteworthy developments and specific accomplishments made by the Government for Haj during the year 2023;

(b) the details of the recent allocation of 4,314 Haj slots for Ladies Without Mahram (LMW) signifying about changing societal dynamics; and

(c)  the  manner  in  which  the  Government  is  promoting  women ' s  empowerment,  especially among minority women in this context?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)    Government  of  India  is  continuously  striving  to  improve  the  Haj  experience  for  the Indian Haj pilgrims. In pursuit of this objective, a series of reforms were introduced during Haj-2023,  based  on  interaction  with  various  stakeholders.  The  reforms  introduced  during Haj-2023  include,  inter  alia,  abolition  of  discretionary  VIP  quota  for  the  Government; increase in embarkation points from 10 in 2022 to 20 in 2023; allowing single females under Lady  without  Mehram  category(LWM)  to  apply  without  requirement  of  grouping;  direct involvement of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and its agencies for Medical Screening and vaccination of pilgrims in India and setting up quality medical infrastructure including hospitals/dispensaries, in Saudi Arabia during the Haj period; making Haj inclusive through  special  provisions  in  Haj  policy  for  women,  divyangjans  and  elderly  pilgrims; selection  of  Administrative  Deputationists  from  Central  Armed  Police  Forces  (thereby ensuring better professionalism and assistance to pilgrims in Saudi Arabia); deputing senior officers of the states/UTs of the pilgrims in order to assist the pilgrims from the particular states/UTs; provision for availability of foreign exchange through SBI at competitive rates as per  the  pilgrims ' actual  needs  instead  of  mandating  the  purchase  of  foreign  exchange  of  a fixed  amount  for  each  pilgrim  as  done  in  earlier  years;  doing  away  with  non-refundable application  fees  of  Haj  Committee  of  India  (HCoI)  pilgrims;  reducing  the  cost  of  the  Haj package  of  HCoI,  by  removing  non-essential  components;  reduction  in  insurance  cost charged per pilgrim by HCoI; strict enforcement of taxation laws for Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) leading to better tax compliance by all  stakeholders;  revamping  of  the  air  charter bidding process by making it more broad based and inclusive; and development of Feedback portal for services provided by Haj Committee of India and Haj Group Organisers, wherein feedback of more than 25000 pilgrims was received based on which further improvements in Haj 2024 are on the anvil.

These  reforms  introduced  by  the  Government  of  India  have  brought  in  a  qualitative improvement in the overall Haj experience of the Indian Haj pilgrims.

(b) & (c): Traditionally, a major deterrent in increased participation of Muslim women was the  insistence  on  an  accompanying  male  Haji,  i.e.  a  mehram  for  performing  this  sacred religious  pilgrimage.  This  restriction  was  done  away  by  Government  of  India  by  allowing ladies  of  forty  five  (45)  years  of  age  or  above  to  apply  without  Mehram  for  Haj  in  2018 wherein provision was made for eligible women to perform pilgrimage under LWM category in groups of four (4).

During Haj-2023, for the first time, the Government of India allowed single eligible women also to apply for Haj - 2023 under the LWM category individually. The onus of forming a group of four on the individual woman applicants was done away with in Haj 2023. This step resulted in an all time high participation, with more than 4000 successful women applicants applying in Haj 2023, leading to greater confidence, personal freedom and increased social mobility.  These  initiatives  have  also  acted  as  positive  enablers  for  gender  inclusivity  and women empowerment. The number of women applying under LWM category has crossed 5000 during the current Haj which is a growth of 20% over the last year.

In  addition  to  encouraging  applications  under  the  LWM  category, the  following  measures have been taken administratively to enable further ease and convenience of pilgrims under the LWM category:-

- i. Simplification of the process of registration of Application of any single eligible Lady Pilgrim, who intends to apply under the LWM category.
- ii. State Haj Committees have been directed to assist in making a group of four or more such eligible applicants.
- iii. Dedicated  Flights  were  operated  from  designated  Embarkation  Points  with  Lady Khadim-ul-Hujjaj on board to aid and assist ladies during their Air Travel to Saudi Arabia.
- iv. Dedicated Buildings were provided for lodging only Lady Without Mehram Category Hajis. Dedicated lady coordinators, Haj Officers, Haj Assistants and Khadim ul Hujjaj were deployed for the safety and security of these lady pilgrims and their belongings.  In addition, lady doctors, nurses and paramedics were deployed in these buildings to look after the health and hygiene issues.
- v. Special  buses  were  arranged  for  transport  of  LWM  Category  pilgrims  during  their stay, wherever required, in Saudi Arabia.