– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: A delegation of Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) and Combined Haj Group Organisers (CHGOs) has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for urgent intervention. This comes after the Saudi government slashed India’s private Haj quota for 2025 by 80 percent.
The private quota has been reduced from 52,507 to just 10,000. India’s total Haj quota this year is 1,75,025. Of this, 1,22,518 pilgrims will travel under the Haj Committee of India (HCoI), which functions under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Addressing a press conference at the Press Club of India, representatives of the organisers said the cut has caused hardship for thousands of pilgrims. Many had already made payments and were preparing for the pilgrimage.
As per the bilateral agreement, India’s total Haj quota for 2025 is 1,75,025. Out of this, 70% (1,22,517 pilgrims) is allotted to HCoI. The remaining 30% (52,507 pilgrims) was reserved for private Haj Group Organisers.
For the first time, Saudi Arabia introduced a phased payment system through the Nusuk platform. This required HGOs to complete several steps:
1. Selection of Zone at Mina (Tent City) and Arfath Field
2. Payment to service providers (Maktab) at Mina and Arfath
3. Payment for housing, transport, and services at Makkah and Madina
4. Issuance of visas and insurance
HGOs faced delays due to the late activation of the Nusuk Wallet. In January 2025, the HCoI made the zone selection payments on behalf of the HGOs. They charged ₹1,000 per pilgrim for this facility and paid the amounts on time.
However, a circular issued by the Ministry on March 6, 2025, mentioned that the actual deadline for payment to service providers was February 14, 2025. This deadline was already missed by many CHGOs due to unresolved wallet issues. The officials did not provide clarity on the matter.
On February 7, some CHGOs remitted lakhs of Saudi Riyals along with the zone selection payments via the HCoI, following a circular dated January 2, 2025. However, the extra funds were not credited to the Nusuk Wallet. This prevented further payments for housing and transport services.
The organisers blamed the lapse on the concerned officials and departments. The funds were supposed to be transferred to Saudi authorities through the Haj Committee or the Indian Consulate in Jeddah. That did not happen.
The March 6 circular confirmed that the payments were routed via HCoI and credited to the Nusuk Wallet. But the Nusuk portal was not reopened for further processing. This denied HGOs access to complete service agreements.
The organisers held the Ministry of Minority Affairs responsible for this failure. They said that administrative lapses led to the drastic cut in the private quota. This has left thousands of pilgrims stranded.
They urged the Prime Minister to take up the issue with Saudi Arabia and restore the full private quota of 52,507. They stressed that justice must be done to affected pilgrims. The credibility of India’s Haj management system and its bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia must be protected.
They warned that the spiritual hopes of thousands of Indian pilgrims now depend on a fair and quick resolution.
The statement was issued on behalf of the following Haj organisers and associations:
1. All India Haj & Umrah Tour Organisers Association, Mumbai (AIHUTOA)
2. All India Haj Umrah Tour Organisers Association, Delhi
3. Karnataka State Haj Organisers’ Association (KSHOA)
4. Gujarat State Haj Ziyarat Tour Organisers Association (GSHZTOA)
5. CHGO Hyderabad Society for Haj Pilgrims
6. The Federation of Haj PTO’s in India
7. Tamilnadu Haj Organisers Association (THOA)
8. Indian Haj Group Association, Calicut, Kerala (IHUGA)
9. Jammu Kashmir Association of Hajj & Umrah Companies (JKAHUC)
10. Kolkata Haj Group Organisers Association (KHGOA)
11. Uttar Pradesh Haj Umrah Organisers Association
