Pilgrims will have to spend more to perform hajj this year as the minimum cost under government management has been fixed at Tk 4,62, 150, raising the expense by Tk 1,02,150 compared to 2020 .

Under government management, Tk 5,27,340 lakh has been fixed as the maximum cost (Package -1), Tk 1,02,340 more than 2020, said State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan while talking to reporters after attending a meeting on hajj on Wednesday.

Also read: Hajj pilgrims must submit Covid-negative report before journey

Besides, the minimum cost under private management has been fixed at Tk 4,56,530 and the private hajj agencies can announce more than one package after keeping consistency with the government packages.

This year, the government has announced only two packages but in 2020, it announced three packages and under Hajj Packages-3 the minimum cost was fixed at Tk 3.15 lakh. 

The pilgrims who intend to perform hajj this year can choose their packages from these two packages, said the minister.

Explaining the reason behind the costlier hajj packages, Faridul said in 2020 the exchange rate of Saudi Riyal was Tk 23 and in 2022 it increased to Tk 24.30 and this is the main behind hike in the cost.

Those who completed their registration in 2020 have to finalise their registration in 2022 again under the new packages and if the intending pilgrims fail to get registered in time their registration will be cancelled and they will get their money back following due process, he added.

Each hajj agency can send maximum 300 pilgrims and minimum 100 pilgrims and only the hajj agencies will have the authority to sell tickets, said the state minister.

People aged over 65 years will be eligible to perform the hajj in 2022, he said.

This year, 4,000 pilgrims will go to Saudi under government management while 53,000 under private management.

Flights carrying Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj will begin on May 31, said the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry.

This year, the government has fixed Tk 1.40 lakh as plane fare. 

Biman will carry 31,000 pilgrims through 75 dedicated flights, said State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali while talking to reporters after attending a meeting on hajj management at the secretariat on April 27.

This year, a total of 57,856 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj from Bangladesh.  

Earlier, Saudi Arabia raised the number of Hajj pilgrims from inside and outside the kingdom to one million in 2022, authorities announced in a statement on April 9.

Also read: Hajj flight begins on May 31

Hajj is open to those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are under the age of 65, added the statement.

Pilgrims travelling from abroad will also need to have a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their departure for Saudi Arabia, the statement added.

Last year, 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj in the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic, some 2.5 million people used to travel every year to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.