Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today assured women pilgrimage who have applied to go for Haj without 'Mehram' that they will be exempted from the lottery system and would be allowed to proceed for the annual pilgrimage. The move came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference in this regard in today's Mann Ki Baat Programme on All India Radio.<br/><br/>In a tweet, Mr Naqvi said, around one thousand 300 women have applied to undertake the journey next year to Saudi Arabia without Mehram. This is for the first time, the Centre decided to allow women pilgrims above 45 years of age to undertake the pilgrimage in groups of at least four without a male member.