Saudi Arabia Increases Annual Haj Quota for India by 34500

Saudi Arabia Increases Annual Haj Quota for India by 34500

Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Saudi Arabia’s Haj and Umrah Minister Dr. Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten inked an agreement on January 11, 2017 in Jeddah to hike the India’s annual Haj quota by 34,500. With this the India’s Haj quota has been

increased from 1,36,020 to 1,70,520. Last year, 1,35,903 devotees from India performed Haj. The increase will be eefective from January 1, 2017. It is the biggest increase in quota for Haj pilgrims after 1988. Five years ago, the Saudi authorities slashed quotas for foreign pilgrims from each country by 20 per cent considering the devotees’ safety as they undertook expansion of the Grand Mosque.

Saudi Arabia

♦ Capital: Riyadh

♦ Currency: Saudi riyal

♦ King of Saudi Arabia: Salman bin Abdulaziz