Haj yatra 2022: 79,237 pilgrims including 2,000 Indian women without mehram to attend

The Haj pilgrimage will resume this year following a two-year hiatus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, informed the Saudi administration on Friday. However, in view of the advancing COVID tally across the world, the headcount of pilgrims is expected to be lower when compared to the two lakh who attended the Haj Yatra in 2019. India will be sending 79,237 pilgrims to perform Hajj this year. The Haj Committee of India will send 56,601 pilgrims whereas Hajj Group Organizers (HGO) will send 26,636 pilgrims.

According to information from the Ministry of Minority Affairs, a total number of 87,194 applications for Haj Yatra were received this year. Male applicants account for 44,121, while female applicants account for 43,073. Kerala has sent the maximum application with 11,449 applications followed by Maharashtra with 10,125 applications. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir sent 9,993 - the third-highest number of applications. The Saudi government has approved a quota that will be distributed through a lottery system.

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention here that India will be the first country in the world to permit women to go on Haj unaccompanied by a male companion or Mehram. This year, the Hajj committee has received applications from around 2,000 women for Hajj without Mehram. 

In 2020 and 2021, more than 3,000 women applied for Hajj without the Mehram category. However, they were unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, so their application will be examined this time, revealed a report by ANI. The lottery procedure will be waived for all women who do not fall within the "Mehram" category.

"We have met all the arrangements and all the officers who will be traveling have been trained well in the procedures. We are making sure that all COVID protocols are followed including the mandatory COVID negative RT-PCR certificate before 72 hours of arrival so that there is no inconvenience to anyone," Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI.

Naqvi added that a total of 11 Haj embarkation points have been identified for this year, including Chennai, Lucknow, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kochi.

"We had received requests from many states to ask for increasing the number of points for Haj embarkation but this year, with the restrictions continuing with the COVID-19, we have not been able to add any more locations to the list," Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi added.

It is pertinent to note that the Haj Committee of India has elected a woman as vice-chairperson for the first time. The Haj Committee has elected Munnawari Begum, a member of the Central Waqf Council, and Mafuja Khatun, the vice president of the Bengal BJP.

India withdrew the Haj subsidy in 2018 under the Modi government, and that money, which was close to 400 crore per year, was utilized to finance education for girl children. Haj 2022 will commence on May 31. The first flight will be flagged off by the Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.