Centre committed to making Haj inclusive, accessible: Smriti Irani

Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday held talks with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Haj and Umrah Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah as both countries vowed to work together to make the Haj process as convenient and as seamless as possible with best provision of services for pilgrims.

Irani asserted that the government is committed to making Haj inclusive and accessible towards all segments of society.

She made the remarks in a press statement with Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah alongside her.

"We today held productive discussions on how to further deepen our engagements and especially our cooperation for Haj. Both nations have agreed to continue to work together to make the Haj process as convenient and as seamless as possible with best provision of services for all Haj pilgrims," Irani said.

"We are deeply appreciative of the help that we have received from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for extending special help and cooperation for the smooth conduct of Haj not only every year, but also particularly in the Haj-2023, where close to 47 per cent of our pilgrim who embarked on Haj from India were women, including close to 4,000 women who went under the 'Lady without Mahram' category, which is an all-time high in my nation," she said.

The government of India is committed to making Haj inclusive and accessible towards all segments of society, especially women and specially abled persons, she said

"I am sure that your visit will go a long way in further strengthening our friendly ties. As our citizens already know, the Haj policy for 2024 has already been announced by the government of India, and applications for pilgrims have already been invited," Irani said.

In his press statement, the Saudi minister said the Kingdom has effectively transformed Umrah into a rewarding religious expedition by utilising technological advancements, enhanced measures, and upgraded infrastructure as part of the Saudi Vision-2030.

"To streamline Umrah visits, individuals looking to perform Umrah can now obtain a Kingdom entry visa within 48 hours. Additionally, Indians travellers can perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia using their work, tourism, or Umrah visas," Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah said.

Furthermore, Indians travelling to the West or the Middle East can obtain a stopover visa that is for 96 hours and get a visa within the ticket issuance process, which allows them to perform Umrah and visit any city in the Kingdom, he said.

The Umrah visa is valid for 90 days, allows holders to reside and travel within the Kingdom, ensuring an efficient and convenient pilgrimage experience, the Saudi minister said.

The scheme seeks to streamline the visa acquisition process and enhance the overall accessibility for Umrah pilgrims, he said.

"During our meetings, we explored various opportunities that we aim to capitalise, and challenges that we are dedicated to overcoming, to facilitate the arrival of more Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the two holy mosques. Our collaborative efforts have significantly increased the number of Umrah pilgrims from India, surpassing 1.2 million in 2023. That is a 74 per cent increase in comparison with 2022," Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah said.

"We are committed to initiating discussions to enhance the range of direct flights options between our two nations to accommodate an increasing number of Indians looking to perform Umrah, he said.

Also speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan expressed appreciation to the leadership and the authorities concerned in Saudi Arabia for the successful Haj arrangements earlier this year for Indian pilgrims.

India and Saudi Arabia enjoy a close and friendly relationship. People to people ties form an important component in this important bilateral space.

"The relations have reached new heights under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he said.

The Saudi minister also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Discussed the smooth facilitation of the Hajj pilgrimage by Indian nationals. Also shared views on further deepening our ties, Jaishankar said of his meeting with the Saudi minister.