The increase in numbers, though far less than what the Indian government had asked for, is expected to win plaudits for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from the minority community.
Last month, Mukherjee and his deputy, E Ahamed, had visited Saudi Arabia to press for an increase in India's quota by at least 15,000. But the Saudis have partially accepted the demand. In fact, agencies managing the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia had asked the government to reduce India's participation because of paucity of accommodation.
During their visit last month, Mukherjee and Ahmed tried to impress upon the Saudis that every year the government received more than 200,000 applications and at least a part of this number should be allowed in.
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