Indian govt to issue forex cards to 1.4 lakh Hajj pilgrims

Indian govt to issue forex cards to 1.4 lakh Hajj pilgrims

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

Saudi Arabia, April 05, 2023: Every year, thousands of Muslim pilgrims from India go to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage. This time also the government has fixed a quota of 1.75 lakh pilgrims. The special thing is that this time the pilgrims will be able to avail the facility of digital payment abroad. Making the Hajj pilgrimage digital, the government has now issued forex cards for digital payment instead of cash. Now passengers will get the facility to pay through cards in Saudi Arabia as well.

 

Of the 1.84 lakh applicants, who submitted applications for the Hajj, 14,935 were granted assured allotments, including 10,621 in the category for people aged 70 and up and 4,314 women who will perform the Hajj without a “Mehram" (male companion). According to a statement from the government, this is the largest group of women travelling alone. It added that the applications which were received more than the Hajj limit were decided upon using an online randomised digital selection (ORDS) procedure. To increase openness, the statement said that for the first time, the list of chosen and waitlisted candidates was posted on the official portal right away after the selection process.

Each of the 1.4 lakh chosen pilgrims received a text message informing them of their selection for Hajj 2023. The waitlisted candidates have also received a text message notifying them of their place on the list, according to the statement. The Hajj Policy 2023 gives pilgrims the option to arrange their own foreign currency or take a smaller amount of foreign exchange, depending on their needs, as opposed to previous years when each pilgrim was given 2,100 Saudi Riyals by the Hajj Committee of India in place of Indian currency.

According to the statement, the government made sure that the pilgrims would have access to foreign currency at the best possible prices. With more than 22,000 locations nationwide, the SBI will make it easier for all travellers to obtain foreign currency and the required insurance during their stay in Saudi Arabia.