Saudi Arabia greenlights Haj travel, India's quota of pilgrims fixed at 79,237, say officials
New Delhi, Apr 22: Saudi Arabia has informed India that pilgrims will be able to travel to that country for Haj this year and the Indian quota has been fixed at 79,237 pilgrims due to Covid limitations, Ministry of Minority Affairs officials said on Friday.
The Saudi government has also told the Indian side that only those aged below 65 will be able to travel for Haj this year, they said.
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said all preparations are in order for the pilgrimage and interviews for those deputed for Haj duty have also been completed.
RT-PCR test and two doses of vaccination are required by Saudi Arabia and all preparations have been made to facilitate the pilgrims, officials said.
This will be the first time since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic that pilgrims from India will travel to Saudi Arabia for Haj.
The Saudi side has informed India that the quota this year will be 79,237 pilgrims, officials said.
Out of these, 56,601 pilgrims will go through the Haj Committee of India while 22,636 will go through Haj Group Organizers.
In 2019, Saudi Arabia had increased India's Haj quota by 25,000, taking the number of pilgrims from the country who can perform Haj to 2 lakh.
But because of the Covid restrictions and limitations, the quota of countries was reduced by Saudi Arabia, officials said.
There will be 10 embarkation points instead of the 21 in pre-Covid times. These are Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, Srinagar, Bengaluru and Kochi.
Officials said this year over 5,000 women will be going for Haj without Mehram (male companion).
Digital Health Card, 'E-MASIHA' health facility and "E-luggage pre-tagging", providing all information regarding accommodation and transportation in Mecca-Madina, will be provided to all the Haj pilgrims.
Arrangements for special training on Covid protocols as well as health and hygiene have been made in India and Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrims, officials said.
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Nandini joins RCB as official dairy partner for IPL-2026 T-20 season
Bengaluru (PTI): The KMF on Tuesday announced that its brand Nandini has partnered with RCB for the 2026 edition of the IPL T-20 cricket, which is scheduled to begin from March 28.
Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) is the state's leading dairy cooperative brand and second-largest dairy co-operative in India.
"KMF-Nandini is partnering with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League T-20 cricket, which is scheduled to begin from 28 March-2026. RCB, the defending champions of the tournament, are one of the league's most popular franchises with a worldwide fan presence," KMF said in a statement.
Speaking about the association, B Shivaswamy, Managing Director, KMF said, "KMF and RCB represent the coming together of two great national brands rooted in Karnataka and we are looking forward to interacting with the passionate fans of RCB during the league this season."
According to him, KMF-Nandini has been designated as the "Official Dairy Partner' of this League and will be entitled to various activations as part of the association.
"We are delighted to be partnering with the RCB team. It is a reiteration of our continued support of sport," it added.
Rajesh Menon, Chief Operating Officer, RCB, said: "We are delighted to partner with KMF (Nandini) for this season. As two iconic brands rooted in Karnataka, this partnership is built on shared values of excellence, trust and a deep connection with our community. Nandini's legacy and household presence across the state make this association truly special, and we look forward to creating meaningful moments for fans together throughout the season."
