Pilgrims will get the multi-embarkation option during Haj 2018. According to officials, it is the first time that the option of multiple embarkation points are being given to pilgrims for their benefit and to help reduce their financial burden.
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, on Sunday announced that 21 embarkation points will be open for pilgrims.
Naqvi said, “The total expenditure to be incurred by a pilgrim is given in the Haj application form. For the first time, pilgrims will be getting options for embarkation points. This will help reduce their airfare costs as they are getting more than one option. This will also help ensure that the pilgrims don’t face problems even after abolition of Haj subsidy.”
The HCOI will be receiving applications for Haj 2018 from November 15 to December 7.
The main embarkation points such as Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkata won’t have any other options.
However, pilgrims from Srinagar will have Delhi as an option, pilgrims from Guwahati, Ranchi and Gaya will have Kolkata as an option, Indore, Bhopal, Goa will have Mumbai as an option while those from Varanasi will get Lucknow as an option.
“This will reduce the financial burden by thousands of rupees for the pilgrims. For example, a pilgrim travelling from Srinagar spends approximately Rs 1.25 lakh, but if he travels from Delhi, it will cost him Rs 73,000, excluding traveling amount to Delhi,” explained Dr Maqsood Ahmed Khan, chief executive officer of the Haj committee.
The ministry also re-launched a mobile application with updated facilities which will provide information and facilitate e-payments for the pilgrimage. “Last year, through the digital platform - app and website - we got over 40,000 applications. We want Haj 2018 to go digital. Approximately, we upload around 5 lakh applications online, but through this digital platform, we don’t have to upload the data since the applicant will be applying digitally,” said Maheboob Ali Qaisar, chairman of HCOI.
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