Applications for Hajj 2016 in India close February 2016

The Haj Committee of India has called for applications for Hajj 2016 with a deadline of February 2016.

Applicants must have a machine readable valid Indian International Passport issued on or before 8 February 2016 and valid at least to 10 March 2017.

The Ministry of External Affairs has also called for support staff for Hajj 2016, with a deadline of March 2016. Male Muslim permanent employees working in Central/State Government/UTs/ PSUs/autonomous bodies may apply for temporary deputation to the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. to render assistance to Hajj pilgrims as Coordinators, Assistant Haj Officers and Haj Assistants, Doctors and Paramedics (allopathic). The deputation will last approximately two to three months. 

Interested?

Booklets containing guidelines and Hajj application forms (HAF) for pilgrims are available free from State/Union Territory Haj Committees (SHCs). They can also be downloaded online. The HAFs can be submitted online as well. The deadline is 8 February 2016 (working hours).

Eligibility criteria and other terms and conditions for support staff are at Annexure-A on the websites www.mea.gov.in, www.hajcommittee.gov.in and http://hajmea.nic.in/haj. Applications can be downloaded online. The deadline for online applications is 15 February, and for mailed applications, 14 March 2016. Find out more about administrative staff criteria (PDF) and about medical staff criteria (PDF)

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about the Ministry of Haj's overview of Hajj 2016

Pakistan extends Hajj application deadline

Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony has announced that the date for submission of Hajj application forms has been extended to 17 July 2015.

It was previously 6 July.

Pakistan puts 2015 Government Hajj Scheme in motion

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Pakistan has made ballot results for the Government Hajj Scheme available online and also with authorised banks. Applicants are being informed of their success or failure via SMS as well, the ministry said.

Public sector organisations have until 1 June to nominate their employees from lower salary scales for Hajj under corporate social responsibility programmes. The nominations will be considered on a case by case basis, and Hajj expenses and dues must be borne by the organisation through funds that are not provided by the government.

The ministry called for submission of Hajj application forms under the scheme from 27 April to 8 May. The following banks are authorised to deal with Hajj applications under the Government Hajj Scheme for Hajj 2015: 

Habib Bank

United Bank 

National Bank of Pakistan

Muslim Commercial Bank 

Allied Bank of Pakistan

Zarai Taraqiati Bank 

Bank of Punjab

Meezan Bank

Bank Al-Falah and 

Habib Metropolitan Bank.

According to the ministry, Hajj dues for the North Region (Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad and RY Khan) are Rs264,971 for adults, and Rs11,460 for infants born after 9 November 2013 who are accompanying their parents. Hajj dues for the South Region (Karachi, Quetta and Sukkur) are Rs255,971 and Rs10,560 for infants. Opting for qurbani through government arrangements costs an additional Rs14,210.

Need background?

Check Hajj application status
Hajj Policy 2015
View a breakdown of how charges are calculated for infants

Read the Wikipedia definition of qurbani

Singapore religious school application exercise from 30 March to 2 April

Source: MUIS website.

The 2016 primary one religious school (madrasah) application exercise for Singapore, a joint effort between Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis), Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah, Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah and Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah,  will be held from 30 March to 4 April 2015. Applications are closed on 3 April. Placement test dates are on 11 April, with results mailed in the first week of May.

Interested parents and legal guardians whose children are born on or between 2 January 2009 and 1 January 2010 are invited to apply to one of the three madrasahs. Applications will only be allowed for one madrasah.

Click here to find out more and to download the application form.

Hajj visa application process a complex business

Those who want to go on the hajj* pilgrimage not only have to secure a place under the country quota system, but also need to identify an approved travel operator to handle visa procedures and travel arrangements. 

The visa application is a particular hurdle as requirements may change from year to year. A report on Arab News reported on 9 July that some Egyptian agencies had been denied hajj visas because Egyptian pilgrims had overstayed their visas in the past, for example. 

Meanwhile, Arabian Business said in May 2014 that those under four and those over 60 were being denied hajj and umrah visas because fears of complications if they caught Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), though another report in Arab News the same month denies that those over 65 are being denied visas. 

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has a page on misconceptions about MERS here. At the time of writing, the number of new MERS cases in the Kingdom are slowing, and the Ministry of Health has not issued any advisories regarding hajj or umrah. The page nevertheless recommends that people over 65, pregnant women, children under 12, and those suffering immunodeficiency or chronic ailments postpone their trips. "However everyone can take precautions by following the prevention guidelines and exercising common sense," states the ministry on the website.

*Islam requires all Muslims who are able to do so to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. Those who have been on hajj in the last five years will not be issued hajj visas. 

BIBD At-Tamwil turns to FICO technology to manage loan portfolio risk

FICO, a predictive analytics and decision management software company, has announced that BIBD At-Tamwil, a subsidiary of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD), the largest Islamic bank in Brunei, has seen increases of 20% percent or more in auto loan bookings since it implemented a mobile decision management application developed using FICO technology.
FICO predictive analytics and the FICO Blaze Advisor decision rules system have enabled BIBD At-Tamwil to manage its loan portfolio risk, satisfy regulatory requirements and take full advantage of information from a newly formed credit bureau, which became available in late 2012. 

Source: FICO

The company’s ability to provide on-the-spot decisions for loans has been the driving factor in boosting business. Its marketing agents at car dealers now use iPads to process credit applications at the car lot, entering the customer’s financial information into the mobile app, along with photographs of important documents such as identity cards and payslips. 

This information, along with credit bureau data, is then analysed using predictive analytics and business rules within FICO Blaze Advisor decision rules system to provide a loan approval decision. This customer-centric approach has streamlined the experience, increasing buyer satisfaction and therefore sales.

“We felt customers were waiting too long for loan approvals using our old system,” said Irwan Lamit, MD of BIBD At-Tamwil, which helps more than 14,000 Brunei consumers every year to finance new and used cars or motorbikes. “With this new approach, we’ve cut the process from a potential 24 hours down to mere minutes while still effectively managing risks. This is a win-win solution that has grown our client base and sales.”

BIBD At-Tamwil made this technology investment as part of its strategy to double its revenue every five years in a highly competitive and saturated marketplace.

“Finding growth meant targeting new customers while managing our risk,” said Irwan. “We decided to include non-salary assigned customers, people whose principal bank account is not with our parent bank. To do this, while increasing loan turnaround time, meant quality risk management was an essential ingredient to the solution.

Dinesh Pereira, who manages FICO’s business in Brunei, added that the innovative solution developed for BIBD At-Tamwil is a great example of the use of customer-focused technology in the financial services industry to drive profits.

“BIBD At-Tamwil is using technology to make life easier for clients looking to buy automobiles. Their work demonstrates what is possible when the power of analytics and mobile are brought together to improve the customer experience.”