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Cabinet Approves Hajj Packages

Minimum cost Tk 315,000 for govt, Tk 358,000 for private pilgrims

Published : Tuesday, 25 February, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 307

The Cabinet on Monday approved 'Hajj Packages-2020' keeping three separate packages fixing minimum cost for an intending pilgrim at Tk 315,000 under package-3 of the government.
Under government management pilgrims have to pay Tk 425,000 to avail package-1 while Tk 3,60,000 for package-2. For the two packages, the government managed pilgrims will have to pay Tk 6,500 and Tk 16,000 more than the previous year.
The approval was given in the regular meeting of the Cabinet held at Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Dhaka with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed media at the Secretariat.
In the briefing, Anwarul Islam said in the new Hajj packages, the private Hajj agents were suggested to fix their packages at Tk 358,000, which is Tk 2,000 less than package-2 - Tk 360,000 for the government managed pilgrims.
In 2019, the minimum package for government managed pilgrims was Tk 344,000 while maximum package was Tk 418,500. The minimum package for private agents was  Tk 344,000 last year. It was increased by Tk 14,000 this year due to increase in the plane fare by Tk 12,000 than the previous year.
However, no private Hajj agencies will be allowed to charge the pilgrims less than Tk 358,000 to ensure services in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj period, he said, adding that the private agencies will be allowed to announce several packages considering their service facilities.
He said that this year, as per an agreement signed with the Saudi government, some 137,198 Bangladeshi pilgrims will go to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. Of them, 17,198 will go under government management while the rest 120,000 under private management. In the past, the pilgrims went to perform hajj in two packages under the government management, he said, adding that a new hajj package of Tk 315,000 was proposed this year for the first time.
The Cabinet Secretary said the cost of hajj package-1 has increased by Tk 6,500 this year, while Tk 16,000 goes up in the package-2.
Noting that private Hajj agencies can also send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in the three packages, he said the Hajj packages have been fixed following the distance of the pilgrims' residences from the Haram Sharif.
Anwarul said the Hajj pilgrims, who will go for Hajj under the package-1, will stay within 700 metres from the Haram Sharif, while pilgrims under package-2 will stay within 1,500 mertres and those under package-3 will be accommodated over a distance of 1,500 metres from the Haram Sharif.
This year, the hajj agencies cannot withdraw the money, which will be deposited by pilgrims in their bank accounts for air tickets, he said.
He said as per the number of hajj pilgrims, the money of air tickets must be sent to the airlines directly through the government pay-orders.
Besides, the Cabinet approved the draft of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University Act, 2020 and the draft National Digital Commerce (Amendment) Policy-2020.






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