Relief for Hajj pilgrims on the cards as federal cabinet set to meet on Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD -- A 14 point agenda, including the approval of Hajj Policy and Plan 2020, is likely to be taken up by the federal cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday.

According to the agenda, the meeting will be held under the chair of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan here at the Prime Minister's House and will take up summaries of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Cabinet, Commerce, Defence, States and Frontier Regions National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony divisions, and Board of Investment (BoI) beside any other item if the premier permits.

As per sources, it is also highly probable that important decisions on reducing prices of essential commodities would be taken during the meeting.

It may be mentioned here that the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has devised a new hajj policy under which 179,210 a pilgrim will be able to perform the duty of pilgrimage during the ongoing year at a cost of around Rs500,000.

According to the new draft available with this scribe, the ratio of pilgrimage quota for this year will be divided between the government and private schemes in a ratio of 60 by 40 per cent which is to remain the same in case of the availability of any additional quota from Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, the proposed pilgrimage package bill for people belonging to the country's northern region will be Rs550,210 while southerners will be worth Rs542,210; eight thousand less than the northerners. These proposals, however, do not take into account the Rs24,200 expenditure for a sacrificial animal per person.

Pakistan Today further learnt that a total of 10,000 seats have been allocated for citizens above the age of 70, while those applicants who could not win seats in the lotteries conducted during the last three years will be declared successful without having to take part...