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Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain on Tuesday confirmed that, as was the case last year, no one will be sent to perform Hajj at government expense.
He shared the information while speaking to reporters at Secretariat.
The adviser said that following this year’s Hajj, the government would be able to refund more than Tk 3 crore to pilgrims under two government-managed packages.
He emphasized that over the past one and a half years, he has worked to ensure transparency, accountability and integrity in Ministry of Religious Affairs and its subordinate offices. Steps have been taken to create a professional and honest working environment for officials and employees.
Regarding Hajj management, AFM Khalid Hossain said that in line with directives from Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, a health service agreement was signed last year with a Saudi medical company at a cost of two Saudi riyals per pilgrim.
Thanks to the government’s negotiations, all Bangladeshi pilgrims will receive this health service free of charge this year.
The adviser highlighted efforts to reduce Hajj costs following the July revolution. Through repeated negotiations with Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, airfares for the 2025 Hajj were lowered by around Tk 27,000, while fares for this year were reduced by about Tk 13,000 compared to last year.
This year, the government has introduced three Hajj packages, up from two last year. An affordable package has been announced at Tk 4,67,167 to accommodate limited- and fixed-income Muslims.
Preparations for this year’s Hajj, including accommodation, tent, and transport arrangements for both government and private pilgrims, have been completed successfully.
Service charges under Hajj Package-3 have been reduced by around 600 Saudi riyals per pilgrim through effective negotiations and accommodations for Package-3 pilgrims are now within 1.5 kilometres of the Holy Haram, down from the earlier plan of 6–8 kilometres.
This adjustment will ease transportation and allow pilgrims to perform the five daily prayers at the Haram Sharif more conveniently.
