He said this while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the three-day National Hajj and Umrah Fair-2026 organized by Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAB) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka on Thursday (July 30) morning.
The state minister said, keeping the theme “Bangladesh first” in mind, the current government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is working for the development of the country. In continuation, the government is giving utmost importance to ensuring Hajj performance at reasonable cost and in a harassment-free environment.
He informed that last year the price of Hajj air tickets was reduced by 12 thousand taka. This year, with a further reduction of 25 thousand taka, the ticket price has been brought down to 1 lakh 30 thousand taka.
M Rashiduzzaman Millat said that an official request has been made to the Saudi government to reduce the airport construction charge imposed at Saudi airports to further reduce the expenses of Hajj pilgrims.
He further informed that extensive discussions have been held with the Saudi ambassador in Dhaka regarding providing special facilities to reduce accommodation costs for Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims.
The state minister said that any kind of fraud with Hajj pilgrims will not be tolerated. If anyone is involved in fraud, the highest legal action will be taken against them.
At the event, Religious Secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad NDC said that only 5 percent of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims perform Hajj under government management, while the remaining 95 percent go to Saudi Arabia through private Hajj agencies. He urged the agencies to refrain from any activities that tarnish the government's image.
The event was attended by Deputy Head of Mission of Saudi Embassy in Bangladesh Khalid Saeed Al Haddal, HAB leaders, and a large number of Hajj and Umrah aspirants.
