RIYADH – The government of Saudi Arabia has introduced a digital identity service for the Hajj pilgrims arriving in the kingdom for the religious ritual.
The kingdom’s Ministry of Interior launched the digital identity service as part of the efforts of the government to tap the potential of digital transformation and harness technology to serve the pilgrims while achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The interior ministry has stated that the digital ID has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
The benefit of digital ID is that it proves the identity of pilgrims electronically through the Absher and Tawakkalna platforms – applications designed by the Saudi government for the facilitation of the pilgrims.
The government of Saudi Arabia has finalized the arrangements for the annual Hajj season which would see around 2 million Muslims arriving in the kingdom for Hajj.
As part of harnessing technology for the benefit of the pilgrims, the government has also announced that it will conduct a test of flying taxis and drones during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Transport and Logistic Services Saleh al-Jasser revealed it during an interview with state-run television Al Arabiya.
He said that a lot of competition among various transportation companies is taking place to provide a practical product in the future.
As the transport sector is gradually expanding, it is necessary to take benefit from the modern technologies, he said.
