BB asked to fix dollar, riyal rates for Hajj pilgrims

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has sent letters to the Ministry of Finance and Bangladesh Bank to fix the exchange rate of the US dollar and the Saudi Riyal as per the rate on February 1 when the Hajj package was announced.

The Hajj package has already increased by Tk 1.5 lakh due to an increase in airfare and currency conversion rate, according to the letter. The religious affairs ministry has requested the concerned authorities to make the exchange rates fixed so that the cost does not increase further.

The Hajj package was announced on February 1. According to the central bank, the official rate of the dollar on that day was Tk 107. However, depending on the banks, it is also sold at Tk 108 or Tk 109. On that day, the price of Saudi Riyal was Tk 28.27.

The letter signed by the Deputy Secretary of Hajj Branch-1 of the Religious Affairs Ministry Abul Kashem Muhammad Shahin said that the airfare would be fixed based on the exchange rate of the US dollar and Saudi riyal as of on February 1. As a result, it will not be possible to collect extra money from the pilgrims on the pretext of the currency exchange rate.

Contacted, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim told The Business Post, “If the currency exchange rate increases after the announcement of the Hajj package, the cost will also increase. Providing additional funds will result in financial losses for both the agency and the government. As a result, if the currency exchange rate is fixed, it will be good for everyone.”

The Hajj will be held on June 27 subject to the sighting of the moon. This year some 1,27,198 pilgrims, management team members, and guides will go to Saudi Arabia. Among the pilgrims, 15,000 people can perform Hajj under government management and 1,12,198 people under private management.

This year, the Hajj package under government management has been fixed at Tk 6,83,018 while under private management, Hajj can be performed at a minimum of Tk 6,72,618. However, Hajj agencies can offer different packages according to the needs of pilgrims.

It should be noted that last year the minimum package for private Hajj was Tk 5,22,744.