New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday lauded the coordination between the Ministry and the Hajj Committee of India, which has won the Indian Hajj Mission two awards from the Saudi Arabian government.

In a post on X, Rijiju said, “Proud to share that the Indian Hajj Mission has, for the first time, received two prestigious Labbaytum Awards from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for excellence in Hajj coordination & communication.”

“The successful conduct of the core phase of Hajj 2026 reflects the seamless coordination between the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Hajj Committee of India, and the Indian Hajj Mission led by our Ambassador in KSA and CGI Jeddah,” he said.

“Grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its continued support and excellent arrangements for pilgrims,” he said.

The Hajj pilgrimage from India for the year 2026 commenced on April 18, with the first batch of pilgrims scheduled to depart for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from various embarkation points across the country. Over 1.75 lakh pilgrims undertook the pious Hajj pilgrimage.

The Ministry made comprehensive arrangements in coordination with the Hajj Committee of India, other Central Ministries, State Governments, and Saudi authorities. These efforts were aimed at ensuring seamless logistics and improved on-ground facilitation for pilgrims.

The Hajj operations were conducted through 17 embarkation points across the country, ensuring regional accessibility and efficient logistics. These included major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Srinagar, and others.

Key new initiatives introduced for Hajj 2026 included enhanced digital facilitation through the Hajj Suvidha App, deployment of Hajj Suvidha Smart Wristbands to help locate missing pilgrims and provide assistance, and the introduction of a short-duration Hajj option of around 20 days for the first time, providing greater flexibility to pilgrims, said a statement.

The Union government also ensured enhanced insurance coverage of approximately Rs 6.25 lakh per pilgrim, strengthening financial and health security during the pilgrimage, it said.

Around 60,000 pilgrims availed the high-speed train service between Makkah and Madinah, ensuring faster, safer, and more comfortable inter-city travel, it said.

In addition, measures such as strengthened real-time monitoring and grievance redressal mechanisms, improved medical screening and healthcare support, and better coordination for accommodation and transport services in Saudi Arabia were put in place this year.

Hotel-style accommodations at Makkah were hired to provide better services to the pilgrims for Hajj 2026. Special emphasis was placed on streamlining embarkation processes at airports to ensure hassle-free departures, the statement said.

–IANS

rch/dan