New Delhi: For Haj 2025, the quota of Haj pilgrims earmarked for Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) is 52,507, the Parliament was informed on Monday.
The quota of India for Haj 2025 is fixed by Saudi Arabia at 1,75,025 pilgrims, which has been distributed between Haj Committee of India (HCoI) and HGOs.
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply, told Rajya Sabha that the HGO Policy for Haj 2025 has evolved and the application process for HGOs has been initiated by the Ministry well in advance this year, so as to ensure that the online process for selection of HGOs is completed as per the guidelines and timelines prescribed by Saudi Arabia.
In reply to a question by Haris Beeran of the Indian Union Muslim League, the Minister said, “Saudi Arabia’s guidelines for Haj 2025 allow only those entities which can cater to a minimum of 2,000 Haj pilgrims only, with emphasis on quality, experience and capability.”
Taking into account the guidelines of Saudi Arabia and the best practices followed by other countries and in order to meet its sovereign obligation, the Government of India, through the HGO Policy for Haj 2025, endeavours to select entities with emphasis on experience.
Minister Rijiju said a detailed application process including categories and eligibility criteria is available in the HGO policy for Haj 2025 on the website of the Ministry of Minority Affairs (https://minorityaffairs.gov.in/).
He said for Haj 2025, the quota of Haj pilgrims allotted to HGOs is 30 per cent of India’s total of 1,75,025, that is 52,507.
Replying to another question by Ramji Lal Suman of the Samajwadi Party, Minister Rijiju said there was no departure from the available precedence in the distribution of the Haj quota between the Haj Committee of India (HCoI) and HGOs.
In the last 5 years, the quota distribution between HCoI and HGOs has varied between 70:30 and 80:20.
For the year 2025, the quota has been distributed within the same range between HCoI and HGOs, in the ratio of 70:30, which has been communicated in the Haj Policy-2025 issued on August 5, 2024.
He said the allotment of Haj quota and Haj Group Organisers (HGO) related terms and conditions are governed by a bilateral agreement which is signed between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), factoring many ground realities into account.
(IANS)
