New Delhi: The government on Tuesday withdrew subsidy for Haj. Announcing the decision, minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the move will help empower Muslims with dignity.
“This is part of our policy to empower minorities with dignity and without appeasement,” Mr Naqvi told reporters.
“We are in support of strengthening the minority. Muslims didn’t benefit from the subsidy. Haj subsidy funds will be used for educational empowerment of girls and women of the minority community,” he added.
The move to withdraw Haj subsidy is in line with a 2012 Supreme Court order asking the government to do away with it by 2022.
The minister said despite the Haj subsidy being withdrawn, a record 1.75 lakh Muslims will go on the pilgrimage this year.
Saudi Arabia has increased India’s annual quota of pilgrims by 5,000 and it agreed to allow people to go on the Haj by ship, which is cheaper than flying.
Some days ago the government had also allowed Muslim women above 45 years to go on Haj without male company, in a group of at least four. Earlier, women were not allowed to travel without ‘Mehram’ — male relatives they can never marry, like brothers or fathers.
According to reports, this year over 1,300 women from India will be going on Haj without a mehram.
Questioned whether the withdrawal of the subsidy will make the cost of the pilgrimage too high for many Muslims, the minister said the government was making efforts to bring it down, and officials from India and Saudi Arabia were working out the modalities.
In 2017, Rs 250 crore spent on Haj subsidy
Haj pilgrims from certain regions will have the option to choose from where they want to fly to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage, Mr Naqvi said, adding that this would bring down the cost by up to 70 per cent on some routes.
The minority affairs ministry is entrusted with welfare measures for minorities which include Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Zoroastrians, Buddhists and Jains.
Following the apex court's order, the Haj subsidy was being gradually reduced every year.
In 2012, the subsidy extended was Rs 836.56 crore. This amount reduced to Rs 680.03 crore in 2013. In 2014, it further reduced to Rs 533 crore.
In 2015, the subsidy was Rs 529.51 crore and in 2016 it reduced to Rs 405 crore. In 2017, the Centre spent Rs 250 crore on subsidising the pilgrimage of Muslims to Saudi Arabia.
