The Ministry of Minority Affairs announced Haj Policy 2027, with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju releasing the policy and opening applications through the Haj Committee of India portal and Haj Suvidha App. The total Haj quota for Indian pilgrims remains at 1,75,025, maintaining the 70:30 distribution ratio between the Haj Committee of India (1,22,518 seats) and private sector operators (52,507 seats), though the government will attempt to increase this quota.
The policy introduces several enhancements including improved pilgrim-to-inspector ratio from 1:150 to 1:135 for better on-ground assistance. Preference will be given to the top 20% of final waitlisted applicants from Haj-2026 to address waiting lists fairly. The Short Haj Package introduced in 2026 is being retained with Kolkata added as an additional embarkation point due to regional demand. Medical screening has been aligned with Saudi guidelines with strengthened checks to prevent pilgrims with chronic conditions from departing.
Significant AI interventions are planned for phased implementation, including AI-assisted application verification, demand modeling for flight allocation, real-time grievance tracking, and conversational AI assistance in Hindi, Urdu, and regional languages for round-the-clock support. Integration with Saudi Arabia's Nusuk platform is also planned for seamless pilgrim services.
The policy follows the Haj Review Meeting chaired by the Union Minister on June 18, 2026, and builds on successful initiatives from Haj-2026 including sofa-cum-beds in Mina, high-speed train travel between Makkah and Madinah, and hotel-style accommodation in Makkah. The Indian Haj Mission received two Labbaytum Awards under the "Best Haj Coordination and Communication" category from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Haj 2026 efforts.