The Haj policy for 2025 was unveiled by the Ministry of Minority Affairs on Tuesday. It states that the Haj Committee of India (HCOI) will receive 70% of the Haj quota, with the remaining 30% going to Haj Group Organisers (HGOs).
The previous year, HCOI accounted for 80% of the two categories, with the remaining 20% going to HGOs.
The Haj Committee of India will manage 70% of the total quota given to India by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the remaining 30% going to private HGO according to the Haj Policy for 2025 rolled out by the Indian government
The new Haj policy has prioritized 65 plus applicants, followed by ladies traveling without mehrams and the general category. Previously, the order of priority was 70 plus applicants, ladies traveling without mehrams (LWM), and the general category in 2024.
What New Policy Says
According to the new policy, which takes into account the difficult nature of the pilgrimage, pilgrims 65 years of age and older must travel with a companion and will be registered as lone members under the reserved category.
A companion was required for pilgrims who were 70 years of age or older in the 2024 policy, which was an extension of the 2023 policy.
According to the new policy, pilgrims who are 65 years of age or older can now register under the reserved category.
“If a non-LWM pilgrim is 65 years of age or older, they may bring one immediate relative with them, such as a husband, wife, brother, sister, son, grandchild, granddaughter. No other family members are permitted to travel” the policy says.
It states that neither the pilgrim 65 years of age or older nor the companion will be permitted to travel alone.
It further specifies that on the date designated by the Haj Committee of India, the ‘Mehram’ and companions who accompany pilgrims who are 65 years of age or older must be between the ages of 18 and 60. Nonetheless, companions traveling with LWM pilgrims who are 65 years of age or older must be female and between the ages of 45 and 60.
Haj Suvidha App
The policy also stipulates that a special “Haj Suvidha” app was released for the Haj in 2024 with the goal of utilizing information technology to give Indian pilgrims traveling to the Haj more comfort and convenience by enabling access to training materials, travel/accommodation/baggage details, emergency hotline (SOS), grievance resolution, feedback, language translation, and other pilgrimage-related information.
The policy states that the advisories on the functionality of the app will be issued from time to time by HCOI.
The pilgrims can fill out the Haj Application Forms by visiting the HCoI website at hajcommittee.gov.in which can be accessed through mobiles.
Every year, the governments of Saudi Arabia and India sign the Haj Agreement, which includes India’s allotted number of Haj seats.
Following the signing of a bilateral deal between Saudi Arabia and India last year, and as a result New Delhi will receive a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims for the annual Haj in 2024.
