Nearly 1 lakh Indians performed Haj through Haj Committee: V K Singh

NEW DELHI: Around one lakh Indians performed Haj this year through the Haj Committee of India, the government told the Lok Sabha today.

"The total number of Indians who performed Haj Pilgrimage through Haj Committee of India (HCOI) during the current year is 99,966," Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said in a written reply.

He said that the exact number of Indian pilgrims who died during this year's Haj in Saudi Arabia was 150, 28 among them from Uttar Pradesh alone.

He said 147 pilgrims died of natural causes while two pilgrims died due to road accidents and one was an accidental death.

"No compensation is admissible in case of natural deaths. However for accidental deaths, the claim is being considered by the insurance company for payment of compensation to the rightful claimant," he said.

Singh said that the dead were buried in Saudi Arabia with the permission of the local authorities and after obtaining NOC from the relatives of the deceased.

Replying to another question, he said the total number of flights that operated during this Haj was 731.

He said that mobile phone application "Indian Haji Accommodation Locater" was launched for the first time through which details could be obtained like where Hajjis were staying in Mecca and Medina.