India will take up with Saudi Arabia the issue of extending for this year too the extra allotment it provided in 2006 in the Haj quota.
NEW DELHI: India will take up with Saudi Arabia the issue of extending for this year too the extra allotment it provided in 2006 in the Haj quota.
Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed will hold discussions with Saudi Haj Ministry officials on Wednesday in this regard and urge them to retain the 10,000 extra allotments it made specially on India's request last year.
Ahamed will sign the Haj agreement with Saudi officials on Thursday.
"My endeavour during the talks will be to persuade Saudi Arabia to accept our request for retaining the extra allotment owing to the increase in applications from Haj pilgrims," he said.
Saudi Arabia has allowed India to send 1.37 lakh pilgrims, including one lakh through Central Haj Committee, to perform the pilgrimmage every year. Last year, it had made the one-time extra allotment allowing 10,000 more pilgrims to travel to Mecca for performing the Haj.
It has been decided to "strictly enforce" the Central Haj Committee directive not to allow a person to perform Haj more than once in five years, Ahamed said.
He also warned pilgrims against paying more money to individuals or organisations in the hope that they would get some "preferential" treatment in Mecca.
"Be it known to all that any extra amount charged by any institutions or individuals will not be a ground for getting any preferential treatment. We are warning pilgrims not to fall prey to unscrupulous elements," he said.
The Central Haj Committee would start accepting applications from prospective pilgrims from June one, Ahamed said.
He said the discussions about setting up a Haj Corporation were progressing.
Gujarat is the lone state which has not constituted a State Haj Committee despite repeated requests from the Centre, added.
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