Government to review the Functioning of the Hajj Committee of India

Government of India on 10 October 2013 set up a High Powered Committee (HPC) to review the functioning of the Hajj Committee of India (HCOI), and its constituent States/Union Territories’ Hajj Committees and to consider the suggestions or grievances made by those Committees with a view to improving their performance in compliance of the judgement of Supreme Court in response to a Public Interest Litigation.

The four member HPC is chaired by Justice (Retd.) Bilal Nazaki, Former Chief Justice, Orissa High Court, Bhubaneswa. AmbassadorIshrat Aziz, Former Indian Envoy to Saudi Arabia, Begum Noor Bano, Rampur House and Shri Mehmood Ur Rahman, Director, Bombay Mercantile Cooperative Bank are the members of the HPC. The HPC will be under the review of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The terms of reference of the HPC will be (i) to review the functioning of the Hajj Committee of India (HCOI) and its various States/Union Territories’ Units and (ii) to consider the suggestions or grievances made by those Committees with a view to improving their performance. The HPC will undertake its work and submit a report in ten months’ time.

The High Powered Committee has welcomed suggestions and ideas from interested members of the general public to improve the functioning of HCOI and States /UTs Hajj Committee (s) with a view to make the Hajj pilgrimage an efficient and smooth process.