Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday, 22 June 2026, announced the Haj Policy 2027 and formally opened applications for the Haj-2027 season through the Haj Committee of India portal and the Haj Suvidha App. The new policy builds on reforms introduced for Haj-2026 and centres on greater comfort, safety, transparency, and dignity for every Indian pilgrim.

Context

Announcing the policy on social media, Rijiju stated that the Haj Policy 2027 introduces 'enhanced on-ground support, continuation of the Short Haj Package, strengthened medical screening and technology-driven services, including AI-enabled assistance in multiple Indian languages.' The minister added that the government 'remains committed to making the Haj pilgrimage more accessible, seamless and pilgrim-centric for every Indian Haj pilgrim.'

The Haj Committee of India, a statutory body under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, manages registration, logistics, and support services for Indian pilgrims. The Haj Suvidha App serves as the official mobile platform for pilgrim tracking, information, and service delivery, and has been progressively expanded since its rollout in 2020.

Policy Backdrop

India's Haj administration has undergone significant reform over the past decade. Following Supreme Court directions, the Haj subsidy was phased out from 2018 onwards, with the government pivoting toward enhanced transparency, self-reliance, and digital infrastructure for pilgrims. Online portals and the Haj Suvidha App replaced much of the earlier paper-based process.

The Short Haj Package, a reduced-duration pilgrimage option, was introduced to lower costs and widen access for Indian Muslims. Its continuation in the 2027 policy signals the government's intent to retain affordability as a core objective even as it layers in new technology. The integration of AI-enabled multilingual assistance aligns with the broader adoption of digital public infrastructure across government welfare programmes.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are Indian Muslim pilgrims who apply through the Haj Committee of India for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Enhanced medical screening protocols are aimed at reducing health risks for older and first-time pilgrims, a segment that has historically required closer logistical support.

The policy also involves close coordination between the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs, along with Indian consular missions in Jeddah and Riyadh, to manage on-ground logistics and diplomatic arrangements with Saudi authorities. AI-assisted services in multiple Indian languages are intended to ease communication barriers for pilgrims from non-Hindi-speaking states.

What's Next

With applications now open on the Haj Committee of India portal and the Haj Suvidha App, the immediate focus shifts to application volumes and processing timelines ahead of mandatory medical screening deadlines for the 2027 season. The government's ability to handle digital applications at scale will be an early test of the technology-first approach embedded in the new policy.

As successive annual Haj policies have built incrementally on one another, the 2027 edition's emphasis on AI-driven multilingual services could set a template for technology integration in other minority welfare and pilgrimage-support programmes administered by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.