Indian women above 45 years, unaccompanied by a male, may be able to go for Hajj in groups of four if the Ministry of Minority Affairs accepts the recommendation of a committee formed to look at the Hajj policy, reports the Indian Express. In a report submitted to the ministry on Saturday, the committee has also endorsed the plan to phase out Hajj subsidies, as per a 2012 directive of Indian Supreme Court. Under the current Hajj policy, women who do not have a male escort are not allowed to go on the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The committee has recommended: “The conditions of male Mehram accompanying ladies should be insisted only for ladies below 45 years of age. It also dealt at length on the eligibility of private tour operators and monitoring of their quality of service.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 08, 2017 16:18 UTC