Govt Hajj package gets costlier

The cabinet approved on Monday the Hajj package, raising the cost of performing pilgrimage under the government arrangement.
The ministerial panel also approved the draft 'National Hajj and Umrah Policy-2019.'
According to the cabinet decision, a total of 127,198 Bangladeshis can perform the Hajj this year.
Out of them, 7,198 will go for Hajj under the government arrangement while the remaining 120,000 will go through the private management.
According to the cabinet approval, the price for Hajj package-1 has been set at Tk 418,500 and package-2 at Tk 344,000 this year.
Last year, package-1 was Tk 397,929 while the package-2 was Tk 319,355.
The price of the government's Hajj package-1 rose by Tk 20,571 and package-2 increased by Tk 24,645 year-on-year.
However, the minimum expenditure for performing Hajj under the private management has been fixed at Tk 344,000 each.
Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat after the cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting.
He said that the intending Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims must have passports that expire after February 10, 2020.
"This year we will have to pay for the accommodations in Saudi Arabia before Ramadan," he said.
He said that the Saudi accommodation and catering charges could be paid online.
He said that the cost of Korbani sacrifices has risen from 475 Saudi riyals to 525 Saudi riyals.
The private plane fare has been set at Tk 128,000, down by Tk 10,191 from the last year.
The rituals of Hajj will begin on the 10th August this year, depending on the sighting of the moon.
Some 127,198 Bangladeshis are expected to go to Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj.

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