The Gujarat state Haj committee witnessed a dramatic fall in the number of applicants while conducting the draw of lots selected to go on Haj pilgrim this year.
Among other Indian states, Gujarat was given a quota of 5,970 seats for which there were as many as 32,914 applicants this year. Reportedly in last three years, the average number of applications was higher than 50,000, with some 52,000 applications received last year.
Banaskantha district, which has 3.65% of the Muslims of Gujarat, received highest number of applications – 5,573 – against the 219 seat quota for the district.
Ahmedabad district, which has 15.11% of the state’s Muslims, received 4,649 applications – against a quota of 907 seats.
Devbhoomi Dwarka district has just 1.41% of the state’s Muslim population and received just 51 applications against a quota of 84 seats.
Also read: Haj Qurrah 2019: Steps to check your name in Maharashtra pilgrims final list
According to a report in a leading publication, the changes brought in the policies by state Haj committee led to the massive dip in applicants.
According to a former chairman of the committee, Mohammed Ali Qadri, “From the number of applications for a quota of just over 4,000, the Haj committee fixed certain eligibility criteria. Candidates who have applied four times should only be considered. This criterion has been done away with. This may have made those who apply every year relax a bit.
Qadri also said that the quota for Gujarat increased over the last few years, with the state getting more seats from other states’ quota. Moreover, this year, because Saudi Arabia has increased its quota for India, Gujarat’s quota has also increased a bit. “This may also be one reason for the fall in the number of applications, because seats with private tour operators have also risen considerably.”
