The Indian Consulate in Jeddah has stepped up early preparations for the next Hajj season after the successful completion of the previous pilgrimage, Consul General Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri said.
Speaking to journalists at the Consulate, Mr Suri outlined plans for Hajj arrangements, consular services, welfare measures for Indian expatriates and the findings of India’s sixth National Family Health Survey. Imam Mehdi Hussain, Head of Chancery and Consul for Press and Information, also attended the press conference.
Mr Suri said the Consulate had arranged facilities during the previous Hajj for India’s full quota of 175,000 pilgrims. About 70 per cent of them travelled through the Haj Committee of India, while 30 per cent came through private groups.
Special arrangements were made to ensure pilgrims reached the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah on time and completed the rituals without disruption.
He said a decentralised medical support system that provided real-time assistance to pilgrims helped reduce fatalities and offer emergency care more effectively.
Other measures, including baggage-free travel, remote city check-in and increasing the use of the Haramain High-Speed Railway to 50 per cent, also helped make travel easier for pilgrims.
A pilot project to distribute Nusuk cards to about 10,000 pilgrims in India was successful, he said. The Consulate will work with Saudi authorities to extend the system to more pilgrims in the coming years.
In Madinah, accommodation was arranged for all Indian pilgrims in the Markaziyah area.
Mr Suri said application procedures for the next Hajj have largely been completed and the draw is expected to be held by the end of this month. Work is continuing with India’s Ministry of Minority Affairs and Saudi authorities to improve accommodation, transport and catering services.
The Consul General also spoke about the sixth National Family Health Survey, which covered 679,000 households across 715 districts in India.
He said the survey showed major progress in health, social and economic indicators. Electricity coverage has reached 98.3 per cent, access to clean drinking water 96.5 per cent and government health insurance coverage 60.2 per cent.
Institutional deliveries increased to 90.6 per cent, births under trained supervision rose to 91.3 per cent and full vaccination coverage reached 87.1 per cent. Childhood stunting declined to 29.3 per cent.
Mr Suri said the figures also pointed to gains in women’s empowerment. Women’s participation in household decision-making rose to 89 per cent, the share of women with their own bank accounts reached 89 per cent and internet use among women increased to 64.3 per cent.
The survey also showed that child marriage had fallen to 20.1 per cent, while India had managed to keep the fertility rate within the desired level.
On expatriate services, Mr Suri said the Consulate is committed to providing efficient support to Indians in Saudi Arabia’s western region.
During the last financial year, the Consulate processed more than 119,000 passport applications and about 38,000 attestation services.
He said a new family census project has been launched under India’s Ministry of External Affairs for expatriates in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Indian families can register through the Consulate’s official website and social media channels.
Mr Suri urged all Indian families in the region to take part in the census.
The Consulate has also introduced several public-facing reforms, including a public grievance system, a VR production room and new service windows to support Indians during emergencies and improve service delivery.
Monthly open houses will continue, along with community welfare initiatives such as Jashn-e-Mehnat Shram Utsav, which honoured Indian workers.
Mr Suri said the Consulate and community volunteers will also continue their work to support prisoners, distressed Indians and vulnerable expatriates.
He added that after the recent success of events such as “India: Wellness and Flavours” and “Shram Utsav”, the Consulate plans to organise more commercial, cultural and entertainment programmes in cooperation with the Indian community.