Centre grants 1,699 additional seats for Haj-2013: Peerzada

JAMMU: Centre has granted 1,699 seats from Haj Committee of India (HCI) to Jammu and Kashmir, raising the total seats to 8,819 for Haj-2013.

The state has received an additional Haj quota of 1,699 seats from the Haj Committee of India raising the total number of Haj seats to 8,819 for the Haj-2013, Minister for Haj and Auqaf, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed said here today.

This year, the state Haj Committee has received 21,693 applications from aspirants, Peerzada said.

Out of the total 7,120 allotted seats, 1,991 seats were allotted to reserve category A above the age group of 70, 2,512 seats to reserve category B (4th timer), while as 2,617 seats were allotted through Qurrah (lottery), he said.

With an additional quota of 1,699, applicants from serial number 1 to 1,699 under general waiting list have been declared as provisionally selected for Haj pilgrimage, he added.