MUMBAI: Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said here a record number of 2 lakh Indian pilgrims will go for Haj this year without any subsidy.
More than 500 flights from 21embarkation points have been made functional for the same.
Addressing a meeting of representatives of Private Tour Operators (PTOs) at Haj House here, the Minister said that while 1 lakh 40 thousand pilgrims will go through Haj Committee of India, the PTOs will send 60,000 believers.
The PTOs will have to take 10,000 pilgrims on the rates decided by Haj Committee of India, the Minister said.
To ensure transparency and convenience to the travellers, PTOs portal—http://haj.nic.in/pto/ (Portal For Haj Group Organisers) has been developed covering all the details.
Taking into account some serious complaints against them, the Ministry of Minority Affairs have blacklisted three PTOs this year. Strict action had been taken against several PTOs last year also, Mr Naqvi informed.
The number of women Haj pilgrims going without “Mehram” (male companion) has been increased this year. A total of 2,340 women from India will go for the pilgrimage without “Mehram” this year. Of the 2 lakh Indian Haj pilgrims, about 48 per cent are women.
Flights for Haj will be operational from several places in the first phase starting July 4 and will continue till July 21.
In the second phase, flights will be operational between from July 20 and 29.
To ensure proper health facilities to the pilgrims, as many as 14 health centres (11 in Makkah and 3 in Madina) have been set up besides three hospitals in Makkah and one in Madina.
As many as 620 Haj coordinators, Assistant Haj Officers, Haj Assistants, Doctors, Paramedics etc have been deployed which include a large number of women.
(AGENCIES)
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