Saudi Arabia increases India's annual Haj quota from 1.36 lakh to 1.70 lakh

January 12, 2017

New Delhi, Jan 12: In a pleasant development for Haj pilgrims, the government of Saudi Arabia has increased India's annual Haj quota from 1.36 lakh to 1.70 lakh

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It is the biggest such expansion in the Haj quota in the last 29 years by the Saudi Arabian government, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Wednesday.

An agreement to this regard was inked by Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent charge) Naqvi with Saudi Arabia's Haj and Umrah Minister Dr Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten at Jeddah, making the expansion effective from the current year.

The Saudi authorities had five years ago slashed quotas for foreign pilgrims coming from each country by 20 percent in view of safety of the devotees as they undertook expansion of Grand Mosque there.

Accordingly, India's quota was brought down to 1.36 lakh from nearly 1.70 lakh in 2012.

Expressing pleasure at signing of the agreement, Naqvi said his meeting with Benten was "very fruitful" as constructive discussion was held on the whole gamut of issues related to the pilgrimage, transport and accommodation facilities for pilgrims and their safety.

"On behalf of the people and Government of India, we also extend gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Excellency Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, for his keen personal interest and initiative in organising a successful Haj 2016," Naqvi said in a statement.

Naqvi exuded confidence that under the visionary leadership of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the "excellent" relationship between India and Saudi Arabia will be further strengthened.

Stating India and Saudi Arabia share ideals of global peace, progress and prosperity, Naqvi said the two countries are tied together with strong civilisational, cultural, economic and political links.

"The regular visits by the leaders and senior-level officials of the two nations have further strengthened the relationship between the two nations. The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia during April last year added new dimensions to our vibrant relationship," he said.

The Minister also expressed satisfaction over the improvements in services offered to pilgrims which indicates Saudi Arabia's firm commitment towards welfare and betterment of pilgrims.

The NDA government has started issuing Haj applications from January 2. The last date for submission of applications is January 24.

Saudi Arabia is under major financial crisis and they have no option but to increase the quota of Haj pilgrimage.

As part of its efforts to streamline the process, the government has urged pilgrims to submit their applications online. In December last year, a new Haj website was launched which provides all necessary information to Haj pilgrims, the statement said.

On January 2, the Minister had launched the Haj Committee of India mobile application to help pilgrims apply online.

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May 7,2024

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The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on Monday responded to Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) regarding a blue corner notice issued against JDS MP Prajwal Revanna.

In its response, Interpol said that all 196 member countries were alerted to identify and report if Prajwal Revanna is spotted at any port in their jurisdiction.

The Karnataka government issued a Blue Corner Notice on Sunday against Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexual abuse by his staff members.

A Blue Corner Notice is issued by the international police cooperation body to collect additional information from its member countries about a person’s identity, location or activities about a crime.

The notice was issued after the 33-year-old Hassan MP reportedly flew to Germany soon after the Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary wrote to the CM to order a probe into the sexual allegations against Prajwal.

Last week, the anticipatory bail application of Prajwal Revanna was also denied by Justice Santosh Gajanana Bhat’s bench of People’s Representative Court in Bengaluru.

Earlier, his MLA father and son of former Prime Minster HD Deve Gowda, HD Revanna was remanded to Karnataka SIT custody in a kidnapping-related sex scandal case.

His arrest came after the kidnapped victim was rescued from Revanna’s close assistant Rajasekhar’s farmhouse in Kalenahalli, Hunsur Taluk after the SIT conducted the rescue operation to find her, the police said.

The abduction case was filed by the son of a woman who worked at the Revannas’ house for nearly five years. He alleged that his mother was kidnapped from her home on April 29 by Satish Babanna a relative of Revanna.

The Karnataka Sex Scandal case pertains to explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, which went viral on social media.

Those videos began to make rounds in Hassan in recent days, following which the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the sexual abuse allegations against the MP.

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May 14,2024

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Mangaluru, May 14: The Met department has sounded a yellow alert in 13 districts of Karnataka including the three coastal districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada for next four days. 

The other districts are Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri, Chikkamagalur, Chitradurga, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, Ramanagara, Shivamogga. These districts are expected to received 6-11 cm of rain, the department said.

On Monday Dakshina Kannada and Udupi experienced a monsoon-like atmosphere. Rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, began in most parts on Sunday evening. In Udupi, rain showered in the early hours of Monday. While Kundapur and Udupi received moderate rains, Karkala experienced a heavy downpour.

The showers lowered the daytime temperature in both districts. Light rain fell in Mangaluru and its outskirts early Monday morning. Mangaluru city recorded a maximum temperature of 33.4°C and a minimum of 23.2°C on Monday. This is expected to decrease by two to four degrees in the next four days, according to the weather department. 

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May 7,2024

Mangaluru: Former MLC Ivan D’Souza on Monday led a delegation to the Passport Seva Kendra in Mangaluru, urging the authorities to provide basic facilities for applicants. D’Souza addressed the media, highlighting the lack of essential amenities at the Mangaluru PSK. “I have requested the authorities to provide basic facilities for people visiting the PSK.

There are no chairs for the convenience of people who arrive at the PSK. They are forced to sit or stand by the side of the road or on footpaths. Additionally, there is no parking facility, no washrooms, and water has not been provided for the public,” the Congress leader stated.

An average of 500 to 600 people from various parts of the state visit the PSK. They have to wait in the scorching heat of the sun, D’Souza mentioned, urging the govt to address these issues promptly. “Officials have agreed to find solutions to the problems faced by the people. Meanwhile, we have also demanded that the PSK be relocated to a more convenient space. We have suggested that the PSK could be moved to the old DC’s office, where there is sufficient space. If our demands are not met, we will hold a protest,” D’Souza explained.

Ashraf Kinara, vice-president of the Dakshina Kannada Waqf Advisory Committee, echoed the sentiment, stating that the authorities should either provide all basic facilities for passport applicants at the PSK or relocate the centre to a better location.

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