CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -UPSC Mains. Q. Which country has become the first country to make entire Haj process digital? Notes: India has become the first country in the world to completely digitize the Haj process.

Detailed explanation-2: -India First Country To Digitise Entire Hajj Process: President Ram Nath Kovind.

Detailed explanation-3: -The highest quota for India was in 2019 when 1.4 lakh pilgrims performed the holy pilgrimage. In the following year, the number was reduced to 1.25 lakh, however, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Haj was cancelled that year. In 2022, Saudi Arabia welcomed 79,237 Indian pilgrims for Haj.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Haj subsidy traces its origins to the British colonial era. In 1932, the British colonial government enacted The Port Haj Committees Act, which provided for government funded Haj Committee and named Bombay and Calcutta as two embarkation points for Haj by Muslims in British India.