The Ministry of Minority Affairs on Thursday said it envisions using artificial intelligence for the Hajj cycle in 2027 to make the pilgrimage safer and smoother.
The announcement was made at the National Conclave on Minorities Welfare – Inclusive Development through AI for Viksit Bharat held in the national capital.
Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, said the Centre, post the AI Summit, is working aggressively to embed frontier technologies into the functioning of every ministry.
“The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) has taken the lead to develop conversational AI bots to serve minorities in a more efficient manner. We are also looking at the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in modernising governance and public administration. AI-enabled tools will be central to strengthening monitoring frameworks, improving grievance redressal mechanisms, enabling data-driven decision-making, and ensuring timely resolution of implementation challenges at the grassroots level," he said at the conclave.
“In particular for the Hajj cycle 2027, the Ministry envisions using AI at scale to make the pilgrimage safer and smoother," he added.
The ministry had recently started the Hajj Suvidha Smartwatch initiative as a first-of-its-kind digital support measure aimed at enhancing the safety, accessibility and well-being of Indian Hajj pilgrims during one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.
“The Hajj Committee of India (HCOI) encourages the use of smart watches during Hajj to help pilgrims monitor important health vitals such as heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels in real time," the senior official said.
More than 1.2 lakh Indian pilgrims were provided GPS-enabled smartwatches integrated with the Hajj Suvidha App 2.0, offering features such as SOS assistance, location support, health monitoring, prayer timings, Qibla direction and emergency connectivity support.
Managing digital services during Haj, particularly in high-density areas such as Mina and Arafat, where network congestion is experienced globally due to the presence of millions of pilgrims, remains a complex operational environment. Despite these challenges, the initiative has helped introduce an added layer of digital assistance and support for pilgrims throughout the journey.
“The Ministry of Minority Affairs continues to make consistent efforts towards improving the Hajj experience for Indian pilgrims through technology-enabled initiatives, stronger coordination mechanisms and enhanced support systems on the ground.
“The Haj Suvidha Smartwatch initiative has been widely appreciated as a progressive step towards integrating technology with pilgrim facilitation and safety, reflecting the Ministry’s continued commitment towards ensuring a smoother, safer and more connected Haj experience for all,” the ministry said in a statement.
