By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
New Delhi: First list of selected pilgrims for Hajj 1429 is released today by the Hajj Committee of India (HCI). Pilgrims were selected based on a lottery system.
India has a quota of 171,000 for this year’s Hajj which is the year 1429 according to the Islamic lunar calendar.
The lists released include pilgrims from only Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. List of Maharashtra has 3035 pilgrims and 50 on wait list. UP list includes 8458 names and 158 on wait list. Chhattisgarh list has only 121 names.
HCI has introduced new rules and restrictions to ease the pilgrimage for this year.
According to the new rules, children in the age of 2 to 16 years are not allowed to go for Hajj. Also, people who have performed Hajj in the last 5 years are not eligible for Hajj this year. These restrictions also apply to those who are doing Hajj-e-badal (Hajj on behalf of others).
Also restricted are pregnant women and disabled persons. Females not accompanied by a male mahram (a close relative with whom a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry) will not be allowed. The accompanying mahram, however, should not have performed hajj in the last five years. Hajis should also be free from polio, TB, leprosy, heart and respiratory problems, AIDS or any other communicable diseases.
To make the pilgrims travel to and from Saudi Arabia much smoother, HCI has introduced computerized system that will track flight and seat assignments of each Haji.
Hajj 1428 was affected by flight troubles and mismanagement by Air India. This year there have been pressures from state haj committees in getting rid of Air India but the final authority for this rests only with the government of India.
The lists can be found here: http://hajcommittee.com/qurah.php