This might come as a shock. There has been a 90 percent reduction in the number of Hajj applicants in 2024 as compared to 2017. The number of Hajj applications was 35000 in 2017 but till now in 2024 there have only been 3500 Hajj applications received till now. This number is so less that a draw of lots may not be required anymore. In fact this number is almost half of the total allotted seats.
This is a sad fact since going on a Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam and people of Jammu and Kashmir would consider themselves lucky if their name got selected in the draw of lots. Now there are lesser applicants than the total number of seats available.
This is so sad that one feels the urge to dive deeper into the facts. What could be the possible reasons that people are not opting for Hajj pilgrimage in huge numbers? Definitely the first guess is almost right – it is the incurred cost of pilgrimage. Pilgrims travelling from Srinagar have to shell out 4.2 lakh rupees as compared to a pilgrim from Delhi who has to shell out about 3.6 lakh rupees. Economic experts feel people are prioritising education and healthcare costs due to financial constraints. The rising costs of Hajj pilgrimage has literally kept it out of even the range of the non-gazetted grade government employees who formed the major chunk of the pilgrim applicants. The blue-collared work force have an added responsibility to fetch a white collar profession for their children making them second guess the prospect of spending such huge cost of Hajj pilgrimage.
A few experts also raise concerns that due to recurring heat waves during May the prospective Haajis are prepared to wait out a few years and then do Hajj in February or March when the heat is less intense – they feel they can walk around and see a lot of places in February.
However, the main reason remains the financial constraints. In a cost of Hajj pilgrimage there are travel agencies prepared to offer three to four Umrah packages. People are beginning to board a good chunk of the wealth for the education of the children, marriages and potential health hazards of advanced age.
We would expect the central government to see what they can do to bring down the cost further so that the most important pilgrimage is not out of range of the common Kashmiris.
