The cabinet today approved the drafts of the ‘National Hajj and Omrah Policy-2016’ and Hajj Package-2016. The approval was given in the weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the cabinet also approved a proposal of the Minister of Public Administration to fill up some 2,475 tech-nical/professional posts of the government from 34th and 35th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exami-nation.
Under the Hajj Package-2016, a total of 1,13,868 pilgrims including 5,000 ballotee hajjis could perform holy hajj this year under two packages. In the first package a pilgrim would cost Taka 3,60,028 including Kurbani and in the second package cost will be Taka 3,04,903 without Kurbani.
Private hajj agencies would ascertain the hajj package separately under certain government conditions. Identical costs for both ballotee and non-balottee pilgrims has been fixed at Taka 1,55,441, the cabinet secretary said.
This year every pilgrim must register online and they will be given pilgrim identification card by Saudi government.
Shafiul Alam said the cabinet discussed negligence of some private hajj agencies this year caused suffer-ing of the pilgrims particularly carrying and receiving their belongings timely. The civil aviation minister assured the cabinet of looking into the matter seriously, the cabinet secretary said.
About the filling up the government posts through 34th and 35th BCS, the cabinet secretary said the decision was taken due to unavailability of suitable candidates for the reserved posts of tech-nical/professional cadres.
He said 672 posts would be filled up from the candidates of 34th BCS and 1,803 posts would be filled up from the candidates of 35th BCS.
The cabinet also discussed a report placed by the Cabinet Division on the scenario of adopting and im-plementing the decisions of the cabinet during the fourth quarter (October-December) of 2015.
The cabinet expressed satisfaction over the execution of the decisions of the cabinet, the cabinet secre-tary said.