The BJP-led Maharashtra government on Thursday said the budget of the State Haj Committee will be increased. Minister of State for Minorities Development Dilip Kamble made the statement at the Haj House in Mumbai on Thursday. The Maharashtra State Haj Committee today selected, in Kamble's presence, the devotees for this year's Haj pilgrimage through a computerised lottery.

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The Haj Committee is conducting various programs for those who want to perform the pilgrimage and helping the Muslim faithful from every section of the society, and keeping this in mind, the budget of the Committee will be increased, said the minister. Also, the issue of increasing the state subsidy for the Haj pilgrimage was under the government's consideration, Kamble said.

Last year, 9,244 pilgrims from Maharashtra went on Haj pilgrimage, Kamble informed. As the Centre and the state government have decided to increase the number of pilgrims by 20 per cent this year, the state's quota has increased to 11,527, he said. The Maharashtra Haj Committee had received 43,779 applications for the pilgrimage this year.

Of them, 41,824 applications were found to be eligible, and some 9,000 pilgrims were selected by a lottery today.