Religious Affairs Adviser Dr A F M Khalid Hossain said around Tk 38 crore of unspent funds belonging to Bangladeshi hajj agencies have been successfully repatriated from Saudi Arabia.
The funds were sent by various agencies over time for hajj purposes but had remained unutilized, he said at a press briefing on Monday.
Khalid Hossain said all unspent funds of a total of 990 agencies deposited in the IBAN of the Masar Nusuk platform under the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah have been brought back.
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Among the 990 agencies, three had no unspent funds in their accounts, he said.
The adviser said 831 agencies with bank accounts will have their money transferred directly while the remaining 156 agencies have been asked to provide account details to receive their funds.
The amount returned per agency ranges from a minimum of Tk 2 to a maximum of Tk 45 lakh, he added.
Dr Khalid Hossain said, “The recovery and return of unspent funds from previous years reflect the initiative and goodwill of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Together, we aim to elevate Bangladesh’s hajj management to a desired standard. We are committed to maintaining the excellence of the next hajj arrangements.”