The government today announced hajj packages for next year, reducing the cost by Tk 92,450.

Pilgrims will have to pay Tk 5.78 lakh under the general package, and Tk 9.36 lakh under the special package, Faridul Haque Khan, state minister for religious affairs, told a press briefing at the Secretariat.

Around 1.27 lakh pilgrims can perform hajj in 2024, like this year. Of them, 10,198 people will be able to make it under government management while the rest can go to Saudi Arabia through hajj agencies.

Hajj is likely to take place on June 16 depending on moon sighting. The issuance of visas will start from March 1, while hajj flights will start from May 9.

This year, the government had set Tk 6.71 lakh as the minimum cost for hajj pilgrims under government management and Tk 6.60 lakh as the minimum under private management.

Around 90 percent of the pilgrims perform hajj under private management.