Indians can now visit Saudi Arabia and perform Umrah on stopover, business and tourism visas as the Arab nation has announced a range of measures for citizens of the South Asian nation.
Tawfiq Al Rabiah, the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, is visiting New Delhi and aiming to streamline the pilgrimage.
On Tuesday he announced that Indians will get 48-hour processing and a 96-hour stopover visa which will allow them to perform Umrah and visit any city in the kingdom.
“The Umrah visa is valid for 90 days and allows the holders to reside and visit any Saudi city,” Mr Al Rabiah said.
India has a Muslim population of 200 million out of 1.3 billion inhabitants.
There has been a significant increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims from India, Mr Al Rabiah said.
More than 1.2 million people from India performed Umrah this year, a 74 per cent increase on last year, he said.
The two nations plan to improve the number of direct flights to accommodate the increasing number of Indian pilgrims, Mr Al Rabiah added.
More than 175,000 places were allotted for Muslims from the country to perform Hajj this year.
About 47 per cent of the pilgrims were women, including 4,000 women who performed Hajj without a male companion. Saudi Arabia has allowed women over 45 to perform the pilgrimage without a male guardian.
India is hoping to increase the existing quota to at least 200,000.
Saudi Arabia is aiming to streamline procedures, enhance services and outline comprehensive plans for hosting pilgrims and Umrah performers under the Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi said.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Napoleon
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
