Saudi Arabia to accommodate 10,000 more Indian Pilgrims after government intervention   

Hajj Pilgrimage

The Ministry of Minority Affairs on Tuesday said they have negotiated with Saudi Arabia to accommodate 10,000 Indian pilgrims under the Combined Haj Group Operators (CHGOs) category, after the reported slashing of the private Hajj pilgrim quota.

The MoMA has held the private tour operators responsible for India loosing more than 52,500 slots for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The MoMA through the Hajj Committee of India, is managing arrangements for 122,518 pilgrims this year, ensuring comprehensive preparation in line with Saudi guidelines, reported The Dispatch,

The remaining quota is allocated to private operators, now consolidated into 26 CHGOs as per updated Saudi regulations.

However, the CHGOs failed to meet key deadlines and did not finalize essential contracts for accommodation, Mina camps, and transport, despite repeated reminders from MoMA.

Saudi authorities, citing safety concerns due to high temperatures and space limitations in Mina, initially declined deadline extensions.

This prompted Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, and People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, among other political leaders, urged the Ministry of External Affairs to ‘immediately’ intervene in the matter.

The Ministry has now issued urgent directions to these private operators complete their process without delay.