Vijayawada: Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Haj Committee Shaik Hasan Basha expressed gratitude to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for the successful completion of the 2025 Haj pilgrimage. In a statement released Tuesday, Basha also thanked the Chief Minister for re-allocating Vijayawada as an embarkation point for the 2026 Haj pilgrimage.

Basha said that the Muslim community is “especially grateful” for the re-allocation, which will significantly benefit pilgrims from the state. He requested the Chief Minister to fulfil his promise of providing financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to each pilgrim who travels from the Vijayawada embarkation point. Basha urged the government to issue an official government order (GO) outlining the guidelines for this financial aid.

He also requested that a similar grant of Rs 1 lakh be sanctioned and released to the 72 pilgrims who opted for Vijayawada but ultimately travelled from the Hyderabad embarkation point this year. This move, he said, would encourage more pilgrims to choose Vijayawada in the future.