India gets highest-ever Haj quota for 2023

Jeddah: In a significant move, Saudi Arabia has increased the highest-ever Haj quota for India for the year 2023.

This year a total of 1,75,025 Indian Haj pilgrims will be able to perform Haj as a bilateral agreement signed between both countries on Monday in Jeddah. Saudi Arabian Haj and Umrah Deputy Minister

Dr Adelfattah bin Suleiam Mash and Indian Consul General Md Shahid Alam have signed the agreement at the former’s office in Jeddah.

The Indian Haj quota was fixed as 1,75,025 for the year 2023, tweeted the Indian Consulate on Monday. The highest quota for India was in 2019 when 1.4 lakh was allocated, following that year in 2020 the number was



1.25 lakh but owing to Covid-1o pandemic that year Haj was cancelled.

The number was 79,237 in the year 2022. During the Congress-led UPA rule, the highest quota was 1,26,018 in 2010.

Due to quota constraints, many optimistic Indians were left out of the draw system across the country, however, with the highest-ever quota, more Indian pilgrims can perform Haj this year and shrinking the waiting time and widening draw chances.

There was no mention of the cost, however, depreciating Indian rupee against US dollar in addition to various cost factors in holy cities this year cost is expected to go up.