The Bangladesh Bank has instructed all scheduled dealers banks to take step to send expenses of hajj pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.
A BB circular issued Thursday said a pilgrimage needs 8,414 Saudi riyals [Tk 1 lakh 90 thousand] to cover house rent, transportation, food allowances and other service charges.
The central bank instructed the banks to send the money against pilgrimage list to Saudi Arabia through e-payment system using the bank accounts of the respective Hajj agencies .
In February, the Cabinet approved the drafts of the National Hajj and Umrah Policy 2018 and the Hajj Package 2018, fixing the minimum cost for a Hajj pilgrim under government arrangement at Tk331,359.
A total of 127,198 pilgrims would be performing the Hajj this year. Of them, 1,20,000 would go to Saudi Arabia under private management and 7,198 under government arrangement.
In the first package under the government arrangement, a pilgrim would pay Tk397,929 and in the second package the cost will be Tk331,359.
The minimum cost excluding house rent for a pilgrim who would perform Hajj under private arrangement has been fixed at Tk168,277.
The costs include the airfare of Tk38,191 for each pilgrim.