Dhaka, June 9 (IANS) Saudi Arabia has rejected Bangladesh’s proposal to increase the quota of Haj pilgrims, authorities said on Tuesday.
Bangladesh’s religious affairs ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that it was “continuing” its efforts to increase the quota fixed by the Saudi government last year, bdnews24.com reported.
A total of 101,758 pilgrims from Bangladesh will be able to perform Haj this year.
But online applications of aspirants exceeded the quota by around 30,000. So, Dhaka had written to Riyadh to accommodate 25,000 more pilgrims.
The ministry has asked “qualified” aspirants to complete all formalities by June 18.
The cost of government packages will be about 300,000 Bangladesh taka ($3,860) per person.
Those who will not be able to avail the government packages can go for Haj by opting for private packages offered by various Haj agencies.
The lowest price for private packages has been fixed at 296,206 Bangladesh taka.