Govt hajj package: Pilgrims to pay Tk 2.21 lakh more this year

Bangladesh pilgrims will have to spend a minimum of Tk 6.83 lakh to perform hajj under government management this year-- around 2.21 lakh more than the previous year.

Meanwhile pilgrims under private hajj management will have to spend a minimum Tk 6.57 lakh, around Tk 2 lakh more than 2022.

Apart from this cost, each pilgrim will have to spend additional money for the Qurbani ritual.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan announced this after a meeting of executive committee on hajj management at the secretariat.

The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab), a platform of private hajj tour operators, will formally announce its hajj package rate at a press conference in a city hotel tomorrow, Haab said in a press release.

According to an agreement with Saudi Arabia, this year, a total of 1.27lakh Bangladeshis will perform hajj.

Earlier in 2022, a total of 57,585 Bangladeshis had performed hajj.

In 2019, around 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis were allowed to perform hajj.

Due to the global Covid pandemic, the largest annual Muslim congregation was held on a limited scale in 2021 and 2022.

This year hajj is likely to be observed on June 27 depending on sighting of the moon.