Lok Sabha Question No. 165 (STARRED), answered on 2023-12-14
Subject: Developments for Haj Pilgrimage
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *165

ANSWERED ON 14.12.2023

## DEVELOPMENTS FOR HAJ PILGRIMAGE

*165. SHRI GHANSHYAM SINGH LODHI: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the noteworthy developmental programmes made by the Government for Haj pilgrimage in the year 2023; and

- (b) the details of specific accomplishments in this regard during the current year?

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

(a) to (b): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (b) OF LOK SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  *165  ANSWERED  ON  14.12.2023  ASKED  BY  SHRI GHANSHYAM  SINGH  LODHI  REGARDING  'DEVELOPMENTS  FOR  HAJ PILGRIMAGE'

(a) to (b): 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  (MoH&FW)  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  CAPFs  (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 pilgrims 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 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.

These  reforms  introduced  by  the  Government  of  India  have  brought  in  a  qualitative improvement  in  the  overall  Haj  experience  of  the  Indian  Haj  pilgrims.  The  specific accomplishments of Haj-2023 include:-

- i. For the first time, single ladies were allowed to apply for Haj under LWM category, without the requirement of making a grouping. Consequently, more than 4000 ladies, which is an all time high, successfully applied under LWM category in Haj-2023.
- ii. Haj-2023 operations were concluded smoothly without any adverse incident.
- iii. For  the  pilgrims  proceeding  through  the  Haj  Committee  of  India  (HCoI),  excellent arrangements were made for hassle-free reception at airports at Jeddah & Madinah, comfortable  stay  in  good  quality  accommodations  in  Makkah  &  Madinah  was provided  and  convenient  and  comfortable  transport  arrangements  were  provided within Saudi Arabia.
- iv. A total of 477 buildings, well-equipped with basic amenities and facilities, were hired at Makkah for the comfortable stay of the Indian pilgrims.
- v. Information  Technology  was  extensively  harnessed  in  the  pilgrimage  operations which included portals such as e-Health of MOH&FW which was effectively utilized to  create  and  maintain  health  database  of  all  Indian  pilgrims  who  availed  medical facilities during the Haj period.
- vi. For  Haj-2023,  the  Government  of  India  succeeded  in  getting  accommodation  in Markazia  area  of  Madinah  for  about  65%  of  pilgrims  proceeding  through  HCoI, which is a record.
- vii. Feedback entries from more than 25000 pilgrims have been received on the Feedback portal developed by this Ministry during Haj-2023, providing valuable feedback and inputs for enabling the betterment of facilities and services in the subsequent years.
- viii. Strict  enforcement  of Haj  Group  Organiser  (HGO)  policy and  GST laws for HGOs has led to better compliance which has improved the quality of services for the Haj pilgrims. As per feedback received on the feedback portal of the Ministry, the HGO services have got the rating of around 4.70 out of 5 with 5 being the highest.
- ix. Improved  tax  compliance  from  HGOs  has  also  led  to  more  than  Rs.  200  crore  tax revenue for the exchequer.

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