The Haj Committee recently organised a draw of lots in New Delhi to select pilgrims for this year’s Haj, which sees thousands of Muslims flocking to the holy site every year, particularly during Ramadan. Telangana was allotted a quota of 3,743 pilgrims for Haj 2023, and 3,690 pilgrims from reserved categories, including the general category, were selected through the draw of lots on Friday. Of the 8,659 applications submitted from Telangana, 8,104 were included in the draw of lots. In the reserved category of 70 years of age, 479 and 76 women without mahram were selected without a draw.
This year, as many as 4,314 Indian women are set to perform Haj without a male companion, the largest number since the reform in 2018 which did away with the compulsion of a male companion with women on the pilgrimage. The Haj quota is allotted according to the Muslim population in each state, and Hyderabad alone has been allotted 852 pilgrims. The above-70 age category includes 278 pilgrims and 47 women without mahram, while 527 pilgrims from the general category were selected through a draw of lots.
Among the selected pilgrims from other districts in Telangana, Adilabad had 110, Kotagudem had 26, Hanamkonda had 88, Jagtial had 72, Jangaon had 20, Bhopalpalli had 6, Gadwal had 135, Kamareddy had 87, Karimnagar had 105, Asifabad had 48, Mahbubnagar had 137, Mahbubabad had 16, Mancherial had 44, Medak had 49, Medchal had 283, Nagar Kurnool had 20, Nalgonda had 135, Narayanpet had 47, Nirmal had 138, Nizamabad had 394, Peddapalli had 57, Rangareddy had 373, Sangareddy had 238, Siddipet had 61, Suryapet had 33, Vikarabad had 67, Vanparti had 43, Warangal had 100 and Bhongir had 23. However, no pilgrims were selected from Mulg and Sirsilla as applications were not filed from those areas.
For the first time, the Minority Affairs Ministry has made comprehensive arrangements for the health of Haj pilgrims with health desks at airports and medical screening by government doctors. The Ministry of Minority Affairs is collaborating with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to ensure quality health support for pilgrims planning to visit Makkah.
