KSA Ministry of Haj & Umra launches Haj Bracelets Reader app

Source: Android Play.

The KSA Ministry of Haj & Umra has launched a bracelet reader application for the e-bracelets of both foreign and domestic pilgrims.

To be used by representatives of authorised agencies of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the app is expected to facilitate the identification of Hajj pilgrims, and provide them with help in context.

The application will also help those who are lost and provide relevant information to the agencies looking after them.



Feedback has generally been positive, though some reviews note that the scanner is not working on selected smartphones.

Interested?

Download the app for iOS or Android
‪

KSA's Haj E-Portal accessed by over 1 million citizens and residents

The KSA Ministry of Haj and Umra's e-portal has exceeded 1 million visits, and the same is expected of its e-portal for domestic pilgrims. In the first 72 hours of operation nearly 100,000 citizens and residents of both sexes have registered at the domestic Haj pilgrims e-portal for the Hajj 2016 (1437) season, the ministry said.

This year, the Hajj pilgrims' e-portal enables citizens and residents to select the service provider, the programme, and the price as they wish. The ministry has also provided additional capabilities such as the Sadad payment system and the Yaqeen data verification service. Cancellations are accepted this year through the portal, along with refunds.

The Ministry of Haj and Umra provides services spanning the entire Hajj as follows:

1. At the towers in Mina on the foothills, and inside its shari'ah area

2. The first service segment at the camps;
3. The first service segment at the camps, along with accommodation in Makkah;

4. The second service segment at the camps;
5. The second service segment at the camps, along with accommodation in Makkah;

6. The third service segment at the camps; and
7. The third service segment at the camps, along with accommodation in Makkah.

The implementation of the Hajj pilgrims' e-bracelet scheme begins this year. Part of the electronic transformation programme launched by HE the Minister of Haj and Umra, Dr Mohammed Saleh bin Taher Bentin, the e-bracelets are designed to identify Haj pilgrims quickly and to provide context when providing help. Available information on Hajj pilgrims will be accessible through all smartphones and tablets via an app available to all Ministry of Haj and Umra employees serving pilgrims and visitors, as well as to the employees of other service and security sectors.

Pilgrims Affairs Offices in the different countries from which Hajj pilgrims originate are to provide pilgrims' data before their arrival in KSA. The e-bracelet will include the following data: border number; visa Number; Passport number; plus access to the Hajj pilgrims' data in the ministry's database. Such data includes the pilgrim's photograph, the data of the entrusted with their service; the data of the residence in Makkah, Madinah, and the holy sites; and the phone numbers of the concerned with Haj service.

The initiative will help to improve performance in the Hajj and umrah sector, reduce time taken on procedures, increase transparency, and make more information available to all the involved agencies.

Ministry of Haj and Umra, KSA launches new control centre for Hajj and umrah

HE the Minister of Haj and Umra in KSA, Dr Mohammed Saleh Bentin, has launched the Ministry of Haj and Umra's control centre as part of the ministry's e-transformation in line with the Saudi Vision 2030. The new system will contribute to the enhancement of Hajj and umrah performance, shorten the duration of current procedures, and achieve information transparency, the ministry said, against a backdrop of an increase in the numbers of pilgrims. The KSA has hosted a record umrah season, receiving nearly 6.5 million umrah pilgrims.

The system is expected to improve field coordination, accelerate decision-making, and ensure information is updated in real-time. A dashboard is made available 24x7 for all the government agency stakeholders involved in the Hajj and umrah ecosystem and also connected to the Hajj and umrah pilgrims' service centres in Makkah and Madinah. The service centres field enquiries from pilgrims, provide directions and take feedback on services.

In conjunction with the launch Dr Bentin announced that the Hajj pilgrim e-bracelet programme would start this year. E-bracelets will help authorities recognise pilgrims quickly; provide access to data of Hajj pilgrims, especially non-Arabic speakers or the unidentified; and provide a unique identifier to help guide the lost and follow up with complaints.

Interested?

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about the e-bracelet programme