Applications for next year's Haj pilgrimage will be accepted online from October 10: Naqvi
New Delhi, Oct 4: The filing of applications for next year's Haj pilgrimage will be completely digital and the process will start from October 10, Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced on Friday.
He also said there will be 22 embarkation points in 2020.
"The new embarkation point to be opened for Haj next year will be at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. So, in Haj 2020, two lakh Indian Muslims will go for Haj from 22 embarkation points across the country," he told reporters.
Naqvi said this after chairing a review meeting organised on the completion of Haj 2019 where he took stock of the preparations for next year's pilgrimage.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the ministries of External Affairs, Civil Aviation and Health. India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausuf Sayeed and Haj Committee of India Chairman Sheikh Jinna Nabi also attended the meeting.
Interacting with the media after the meeting, Naqvi said Haj 2020 will be "100 per cent online" and a system has been developed to provide e-visa to all the pilgrims.
"People can apply online for Haj 2020 from October 10 till November 10. Applications for Haj can also be be filed through a mobile application," Naqvi said.
The minister said Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) can apply on an online portal from November 1 to December 1.
Naqvi said GST on Haj pilgrimage was reduced from 18 per cent to five per cent this year, which ensured that more than Rs 113 crore were saved by the pilgrims during the Haj in 2019.
"Accommodation in Madina had also been taken on 100 Saudi Riyal less in comparison to the last year which resulted in savings of Rs 3,000 per Indian pilgrim," he said.
Naqvi said a record number of 2 lakh Indian Muslims went to Haj this year through more than 500 flights from 21 embarkation points across the country.
These pilgrims included about 48 per cent Muslim women.
"A total of 2,340 Muslim women from India also performed Haj this year without 'Mehram' ((husband or a male first blood relation as guardian). For Haj 2020, women who will apply without 'Mehram' will be exempted from the lottery system," he said.
Naqvi said while 1.4 lakh Haj pilgrims went through Haj Committee of India, 60,000 such pilgrims performed the pilgrimage through Haj Group Organisers (HGOs).
"More than 2.67 lakh applications were received for Haj 2019 which included about 1.65 lakh online applications. For Haj 2020, online applications will be encouraged. Haj Committee will also organise awareness programmes in this regard," he said.
Replying to a question, Naqvi assured that people in Kashmir would also be able to apply online easily.
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‘Self-styled Vishwaguru stands exposed’: Cong's dig at PM over Pak role in US-Iran ceasefire
New Delhi (PTI): Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress on Wednesday said the role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire between the US and Iran is a “severe setback” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “highly personalised diplomacy” and “the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed”.
The opposition party also said Prime Minister Modi's “cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the entire world will cautiously welcome the two-week ceasefire in the West Asia conflict between the US and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other.
“The conflict had begun on February 28th with the targeted assassinations of the topmost echelons of the regime in Iran. These had started just two days after Prime Minister Modi had completed his much-trumpeted visit to Israel, a visit that diminished India’s global stature and standing,” Ramesh claimed.
PM Modi had said nothing about Israel’s "genocide" in Gaza and its aggressively expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank, Ramesh said.
“The role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire is a severe setback to both the substance and style of Mr Modi’s highly personalised diplomacy,” he said.
The policy to isolate Pakistan for its continuing support to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and to convince the world that it is a failed state has clearly not succeeded – unlike what Manmohan Singh had accomplished after the Mumbai terror attacks, Ramesh claimed.
That a bankrupt economy dependent entirely on the largesse of external donors and a broken country in so many ways was able to play such a role calls into question Modi’s strategy of engagement and narrative management, he said.
“He (Modi) or his team has also never explained why Op Sindoor was suddenly and abruptly halted on May 10th 2025 - the first announcement of which came from the US Secretary of State and for which the US President has claimed credit almost a hundred times since then,” the Congress leader said.
“There is a palpable sigh of relief everywhere. The External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) dismissed Pakistan as a dalal. But now the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed, his self-declared 56-inch chest shrunk and shrivelled,” Ramesh said.
“His cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House,” the Congress leader added.
US President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, as the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump swerved to de-escalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal or face attacks on its bridges and power plants meant to destroy the Iranian civilisation.
Trump made the dramatic announcement on Truth Social on Tuesday evening (US time) even as Democrats called for his removal over unhinged threats to wipe out the Iranian civilisation.
"Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," the US President said in a social media post.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Pakistan beginning Friday. Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday.
Israel backed the US ceasefire with Iran but the deal doesn't cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday.
