Srinagar: Asserting that the rates to perform Hajj-2021 will increase in view of guidelines (social distancing) to curtail the spread of COVID-19 during the pilgrimage, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the bilateral agreement between India and Saudi Arabia will likely happen in December.
The bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia in December will clarify how many seats will be allotted to India for Hajj 2021. As many as 2 lakh people from India had performed Hajj in 2019.
He said over 3,000 women, who had applied for Hajj 2020 without mahram, will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage in 2021. “Hajj-2021 will be held in different circumstance due to COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Naqvi told UNI in an exclusive interview.
“Hajj will be held in Saudi Arabia… so we have to follow the guidelines issued by the Saudi government. According to the guidelines, only two to three people will stay in a room where seven to eight people used to live. The bus which used to ferry 45 people, will now accommodate only 20 people… there are many other things which will be different in Hajj 2021,” he said.
So, he said under these circumstances the rates will automatically increase.
“The bilateral agreement with Saudi government is expected to happen in December. We will see how much quota India will get,” he added.
The agreement for Hajj 2020 between India and Saudi Arabia was signed on December 1, 2019, marking a milestone in the relationship between the two countries as India became the first country in the world where Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, will happen entirely through a digital process. However, the Hajj 2020 was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
