The work related to management of Haj pilgrimage including administration of the Haj Committee Act, 1959 and Rules made thereunder has been transferred from the Ministry of External Affairs to the Ministry of Minority Affairs from 1st October, 2016. Accordingly, the Ministry manages the Haj work in coordination with Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Haj Committee of India (HCoI) and Consulate General of India (CGI), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Ministry also looks after all the matters related to Haj Committee of India, accord necessary approval to the Haj related proposals of CGI, Jeddah, selection of deputationists (Administrative and Medical/ Paramedical Staff) on short term deputation to CGI, Jeddah, registration of Private Tour Operators (PTOs) and allocation of Haj Quota to PTOs, etc..
As per the bilateral Haj Agreement signed between Government of India and Saudi Arabia, the quota allocated for Haj 2016 was 1,36,020, out of which quota of 1,00,020 seats was assigned to the Haj Committee of India and 36,000 seats were assigned to the Private Tour Operators. From Haj-2013, Saudi Government has reduced the overall Haj quota for pilgrims from foreign countries, including from India, by 20% and for domestic pilgrims by 50% to facilitate the infra-structure work being carried out around the Haram Sharif". The annual Haj quota for India has remained unchanged since Haj 2013. The Government has been requesting the Government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for increasing the annual Haj quota for India. Depending on the quota allocated by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to India, the share of the States including Tamil Nadu, will be divided as per existing norms.
The Private Tour Operators are being registered and allocated Haj quota by the Government as per the Policy for Private Tour Operators (PTOs) for Haj 2013 2017 approved by the Honble Supreme Court.
This information was given by Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State (IC) for Minority Affairs, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
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