Hajj costs go up by Tk 59,000

State minister for religious affairs Faridul Haque Khan on Thursday said the cost for performing hajj has increased by Tk 59,000 per person.

The authorities have raised the expenses of Hajj per person by Tk 59,000, due to the rise in essential costs in Saudi Arabia.

State minister for religious affairs Faridul Haque Khan came up with the disclosure at a press briefing at the secretariat on Thursday.

Due to this development, the hajj package-1 under the government arrangement will cost Tk 586,000 in total while the package-2 Tk 521,000. On the other hand, the lowest hajj cost under private arrangements would be Tk 522,000.

The state minister said they received detailed information on expenses from the Saudi authorities on Wednesday. Later, the government adjusted the hajj cost here keeping a compassionate attitude towards the aspirant pilgrims.

However, the amount needs to be paid by 30 May for embarking a hajj trip.

Hajj, the largest mass gathering of Muslims across the world, is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on 8 July, subject to sighting of the moon.

From Bangladesh, some 4,000 people will join the annual religious event under the government arrangement while another 53,585 will attend the hajj under private arrangement.