Agreement Signed by India for Hajj 2010:
Over 1, 60,000 Indian Pilgrims for Hajj
On Wednesday, an agreement has been signed by India to enable its pilgrims to go for Haj this year.
Fouad Al-Farsy Minister of Haj and Shashi Tharoor Minister of State for External Affairs of India signed the agreement. It will allow over one lakh sixty thousand Indian pilgrims to go for Hajj 2010. With Shashi Tharoor, members of Parliament Mohsina Kidwai and Madani Mahmood Hussain and Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad were also there.
Shashi Tharoor said in a press conference Over one lakh sixty thousand Indian pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India and private tour operators are expected to perform Haj this year. A request for an additional quota has been forwarded to the Ministry of Haj taking into account the large number of applicants.
As per haj committee, in 2009, one lakh sixty thousand Indian pilgrims go for Haj successfully. They were chosen from three lakh fifty seven thousand applicants. In addition Tharoor said Our discussion with the Haj minister was both positive and constructive. Our efforts are directed to improving our partnership in the interest of our pilgrims. Thanking the realm for elaborating arrangements for the annual pilgrimage and facilitating Indian pilgrims year after year,
Tharoor said the Indian government and its local diplomatic mission have been overseeing the arrangements for its pilgrims since the 1880s. We thus have 130 years of experience in making arrangements for our Haj pilgrims.
During the meeting with the Haj minister, he said that ongoing expansion work in Makkah was discussed by them, which will improve additional facilities for the Hajj pilgrims. [smartads]
Tharoor said Its a remarkable job for Saudi Arabia to host millions of pilgrims annually.
Indian pilgrims comprise the largest segments of the yearly pilgrimage and the deal covers all parts of connected with the Haj. It includes arrangements for accommodation of pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, and air travel, health care and various welfare dealings.
He said that similar to last year, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air India would transmit the Indian pilgrims to the territory and back.
He said Saudi Arabia is one of the highly developed nations, which wields marvelous influence in the county.
Tharoor said For the Gulf Cooperation Council, India is the No. 1 trading partner, ahead of China, and we invite Saudi investors to visit us and explore the tremendous potential the country holds in various sectors. India can offer high and enduring returns to investors.
On the question about difficulty of visa overstayers, Talmiz Ahmed the Indian Ambassador said that the Indian mission is effectively tackling the difficulty. He said They are mostly Umrah overstayers. There are only about 100 who remain. They will be deported within a week.
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Agreement Signed by India for Hajj 2010: Over 1, 60,000 Indian Pilgrims for Hajj | Daily Latest News