It's my great pleasure and privilege to welcome you all to the All India Annual Conference for Haj 2007. It is a matter of personal privilege for me to be associated with arrangements of the Indian Haj pilgrims for over a decade including during the last three years as Minister of State for External Affairs, directly in-charge for Haj Affairs.

2. I would also take this opportunity to congratulate all the agencies involved in the Indian Haj management, in particular the Haj Committee of India, State Haj Committees, Air India, Indian Airlines, Indian Missions in Saudi Arabia for the successful completion of the Haj 2006-II. The Haj 2006-II was by far the most challenging because of the record number of pilgrims from India who performed Haj. This was due to the Government of the Khadim Al-Haramain Al-Sharifain granting an additional quota of 10,000 pilgrims to India for which we are grateful. I would request the Government of Saudi Arabia to at least maintain the same quota of 1,57,000 for this year given the increasing desire of Muslims in India to perform Haj.

3. Dear Friends, the Annual Haj Conference is an institutionalized platform for all those with interest in Haj management; the political leadership, the Haj Committees, the Government departments, Indian Missions in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Air India, Members of Parliament and learned religious scholars to express their views through transparent discussions, frank exchange of opinions and brainstorming on all Haj-related matters. The deliberations in this forum have brought to the forefront many useful suggestions and ideas in the past, which had enabled the Government to further improve and strengthen the overall arrangements of the Haj.

4. I would like to urge various States to depute sufficient number of Khudammul Hujjaj and to give them proper orientation so that they can be of use to the pilgrims. These Khudammul Hujjaj are supplemented and supported by community volunteers mobilized by the Consulate General of India hailing from different parts of India.
5. I would also like to request the Haj Committee of India and the State Haj Committees and all others who are concerned with Haj affairs to give highest priority to pre-departure counseling and orientation of the prospective Haj pilgrims so that they embark on their journey of lifetime with greater confidence and perform their rituals in a safe and spiritually satisfying manner.

6. During the last Haj I was fortunate to lead the Prime Minster's Haj Goodwill delegation to Saudi Arabia. During my stay there, I, along with my other colleagues, personally supervised the Haj arrangements. We also got the opportunity to take up several matters with Saudi agencies like the South Asian Moassasa and the Ministry of Haj.

7. I am planning to visit Saudi Arabia soon to hold discussions with the Saudi Haj Minister, Dr. Fuad bin Abdul Salam Al Farsi on the arrangements for the next Haj. We shall also be signing the Haj 2007 Agreement with the Saudi authorities.

8. The Government and the Haj Committee of India constantly strive to make Haj affordable and comfortable. While all possible measures are taken to cater to the diverse requirements of all our Haj pilgrims, considering the magnitude of the logistics of movement, accommodation and air transport, it is not always easy to satisfy all the pilgrims. I would, therefore, request the pilgrims to show patience and understanding. I appreciate that most of the pilgrims have been cooperative and appreciative of the government authorities.

9. I would request all the participants in this august conference to air their valuable views and suggestions so that it could inform policy decisions.

10. I would like to express my deep sense of appreciation of the contribution made by the Haj Committee of India under the leadership of Janab Iqbal Ahamed Saradgi, who has shown exemplary concern and interest in Haj matters.

11. Before ending I would like to personally thank the honourable External Affairs Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee for inaugurating the Conference. I thank all of you for your gracious presence and extend my best wishes for a successful All India Haj Conference.

Thank you 

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