All applicants from big states cleared for going on Haj after hike in India's quota
New Delhi: With Saudi Arabia increasing India's Haj quota to two lakh, all applicants from big states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar have been cleared for going on the pilgrimage, sources in the Minority Affairs Ministry said.
On Friday, the Saudi Arabian government issued a formal order with regard to the increase in India's Haj quota.
At a meeting here in February that was attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Saudi Arabia had increased India's quota by about 25,000, taking the number of pilgrims from India who can perform Haj to two lakh.
"Due to the significant increase in India's Haj quota, all the applicants from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, Manipur, Lakshadweep, Odisha, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Tripura, will go on Haj," a source said.
A record number of two lakh Indian Muslims will perform Haj this year without subsidy.
Another highlight this year is that 2,340 Muslim women from India will also go for the pilgrimage without 'Mehram' or male companion.
A total of 34,397 applications were received from Uttar Pradesh this year, 8,470 from West Bengal, 191 from Goa, 499 from Manipur, 698 from Odisha, 2,138 from Andhra Pradesh, 3,588 from Assam, 4,950 from Bihar, 72 from Himachal Pradesh, 2,233 from Jharkhand, 342 from Punjab, and 110 from Tripura.
All these applicants have become eligible to go on Haj after the increase in India's quota, the sources said.
India's Haj quota has gone up sharply in the last five years as it was 1,36,000 in 2014, they said, adding that the minority affairs minister had made efforts to increase India's quota to two lakh which fructified when the Saudi Prince acceded to the request made by Modi earlier this year.
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NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore set to return back to earth; details here
Washington DC: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were originally supposed to spend just 10 days at the International Space Station (ISS), are finally set to return to Earth after nearly 10 months in space, reported NDTV.
The two astronauts, who have been stranded at the ISS since June 2024, will be coming back aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, expected to land as early as March 16, according to NASA officials.
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, technical problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters caused difficulties during docking.
After months of investigation, NASA and Boeing decided that Starliner was not safe enough to bring them back. The spacecraft returned to Earth without the crew in September, leaving the astronauts waiting for an alternative ride home.
NASA later arranged for SpaceX to bring them back on the return trip of Crew-9. This mission was originally launched in September with only two members, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, leaving room for Williams and Wilmore.
Crew-9 was initially scheduled to return in February after completing its six-month mission, but the plan was delayed due to scheduling changes. Now, NASA has confirmed the launch of Crew-10, which will replace Crew-9 at the ISS.
Crew-10 is set to launch on March 12 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov. Because of delays in building a new Crew Dragon spacecraft, they will be flying on the Endurance capsule instead.
If everything goes as planned, Crew-9 will leave the ISS on March 16, after a two-day transition period on March 14 and 15. However, if Crew-10’s launch is delayed, Crew-9’s return will also be pushed back. Backup launch dates for Crew-10 are available on March 13 and 14, which could shift Crew-9’s return to March 17 or 18.
NASA officials will continue to monitor the schedule and make adjustments as needed to ensure a safe return for Williams and Wilmore.
