Govt of India wants to end rising Haj subsidy

[riju78]

In a move that is bound to be opposed bitterly, the government has set in motion a proposal aimed at phasing out the subsidy for Haj pilgrims, which worked out to Rs 826 crore in 2008.
A note for cabinet made by the Ministry of External Affairs, the nodal agency for Haj, has been sent to stakeholder ministries such as civil aviation, finance and minority affairs for their response.
The note proposes to cut the number of pilgrims being sent on subsidised airfare by 10 per cent every year.
Over 1.60 lakh Indians made the Haj pilgrimage — to Mecca, Medina and Mina in Saudi Arabia — in 2009. The government subsidised the trip for 1.15 lakh who went through the Haj committee.
The rest went on their own using private tour operators.
The government subsidises the airfare, which has been rising, pushing up the subsidy bill from Rs 367 crore in 2006 to Rs 390 crore in 2007 to Rs 826 in 2008.
“The Government is striving to reduce such expenditu-re,” minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor told Lok Sabha last year.
Around that time the airfare chargeable — over the subsidised amount — was raised from Rs 12,000 per person to Rs 16,000.
And now, the move to do away with it completely, but in a staggered fashion.
“This proposal of doing away with Haj subsidy is being discussed at the stakeholders level,” said a senior official, adding, “Other than this, the government also has many ideas to address the issue of airfare subsidy.”
There have been some cost-cutting initiatives such as the one suggested by Rajya Sabha deputy chairman K Rahman Khan and some Muslim MPs in 2008, urging the government to follow the Malyasian model.
The Malaysian Tabung Haji involves investment in an “Islamic, Shariat-compliant” way from the prospective pilgrims. They put in whatever amount they can afford in a kitty for a period of time. And they can withdraw the money whenever they want to go for Haj.
But the new proposal will not be acceptable to many.
“That’s the wrong way of looking at making Haj efficient,” said S.Q.R. Ilyasi, spokesperson of the All India Personal Law Board. He argued that the airfare subsidy was actually used to subsidize Air India. The amount can be drastically cut if private airlines are allowed to fly subsidized pilgrims.
Abdus Sattar, minority affairs minister in West Bengal, wants more transparency in the subsidy system. “The state Haj committees are kept in the dark. We have been taking up this issue at the Central Haj Committee.”
Others asked the government to stay away from sensitive issues. “Why doesn’t the government look at ways to improve Haj facilities rather than think of something that’s politically so sensitive,” asked Anwar Ali, Rajya Sabha MP.


Govt wants to end rising Haj subsidy- Hindustan Times

 

[riju78]

Rs 826 crore is about $186 million which should be spent on the development of poor people irrespective of religion!!!

 

[notsuperstitious]

Most indian Muslims I know have said to me that they are in favor of removing the subsidy too. They think its unnecessary political fuel to right wing parties and also islamically not correct (i forget the reason why - i think because one is supposed to do haj only when one can afford it or something like that, pls correct me if wrong).

 

[riju78]

yeah i think u r right..even my friend said the same....it is so much money spent over the years and will only give fuel to right wing parties...
if i am right india is the only country who subsidises haj...correct me if i am wrong please

 

[Avatar]

This is a very strong move by the GOI which hints that India is heading towards progress and bigger things than religion based politics. The HAJ money can infact be used for the upliftment of poor, which is also something that Islam along with every other religion promote. If I'm not wrong, charity is one of the 5 pillars of Islam.

 

[EjazR]

Its not Haj subsidy, its actually Air India subsidy. Its Air India that gets direct benefit and there is no transparency in how the subsidy is utilized, even the Haj state committees are unaware of the accounts.

There is no need to subsidise the Haj under Islamic Law as Haj is only obligatory for those who can afford it. However, the money can instead be spent on social welfare projects or even on improving facilities for easy passage of Haj pilgrims so that normal air traffic is not impacted.

 

[karan.1970]

We are all ok with this.. But wont be surprised if idiots like Mulayam Singh or Lalu react in a negative way..

 

[riju78]

totally agree karan bhai..i am sure the left, lalu mulayam amar singh and co will jump in....

 

[herakles]

who wants to travel by Air India knowing how good their service is????

 

[riju78]

AIR INDIA is probably the worst in the world!!!

 

[durgs360]

Yes, Its high time. No point in visiting Haj on Govt's money. I hope our Muslim brothers will understand.

 

[EjazR]

Believe me, hardly any muslim will complain, but ofcourse we do want genuine commitment to uplift the weaker sections of the muslim community. Its our non-muslim brothers particularly the BJP-types who think that "Haj subsidy" is a favor to the Indian muslims.

It is not, no Indian muslim leader asked for this and this was just imposed and has stayed since the time of Nehru. Like I said earlier, its more accurate to call it Air India subsidy than Haj subsidy

---------- Post added at 08:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:04 AM ----------

Good if government quashes Haj subsidy, say leading Muslims

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) If the government wants to do away with the subsidy for Haj pilgrims it is fine, some leading Muslims feel, but they want transparency and privatisation of the pilgrimage programme.
“There is no demand for the subsidy. The Haj becomes necessary only if you can afford it - physically as well as financially. If the government wants to end it (the subsidy), I will more than welcome that,” Maulana Abdul Hamid Nomani, spokesperson of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, told IANS.

Asked if Islamic law allows the subsidy, Nomani said Indian Muslims, like members from other communities, also pay taxes and thus have a stake in the resources.

“No government official or politician pays it from his own pocket. Subsidy is not prohibited as such, but the money which they spend on subsidising the pilgrimage can be used for other purposes equally noble as Haj,” said the leader of the Jamiat, one of the leading and oldest Muslim organisations in India, founded in 1919.

The remarks come as the government is said to have moved a proposal to phase out the multi-crore rupees subsidy in the airfare for Muslim pilgrims who visit the holy cities of Makkah and Medina in Saudi Arabia. In 2008, the government said it had to shell out Rs.826 crore for about 100,000 Muslim pilgrims.

The external affairs ministry, the nodal agency for Haj, has sent the proposal to the civil aviation, finance and minority affairs ministries for their response.

Even as the move may cause displeasure among the 14 million Muslim population in India, many scholars from the minority community like Nomani welcomed the move to phase out the subsidy saying the government should bring in more transparency to the system.

“They are not doing any favour to Muslims, you should understand that,” Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari, who leads prayers in Delhi’s Jama Masjid, told IANS.

“Why would anybody want to travel with Air India knowing how pathetic their service is,” he said, adding the government generates revenue through the subsidy scheme and gives a discount on “overpriced tickets”.

He said the government should invite tenders from global airlines where all bid competitively. “And you will see the ticket prices would be much lower than what Air India charges,” Bukhari said.

The Air India Haj ticket, he said, costs Rs.40,000, but if you travel to Saudi Arabia by other airlines it will cost around Rs.20,000.

The national carrier, Bukhari said, “runs at a loss and the Haj programme makes up for their losses in the name of subsidy to Muslims. Let them do away with it. It is a good step. I don’t think anybody will oppose it.”

Echoing the same view, Syed Yousuf, a guest teacher in the capital’s Jamia Millia university, said: “If the government is serious about doing away with the subsidy it is good for Muslims. They can travel at lesser cost. Plus the government should use this money on other issues like education, drinking water, welfare of Muslims if they want to do any favour to the community.”

 

[durgs360]

^^^^^^^ well said brother

 

[Spring Onion]

totally agree karan bhai..i am sure the left, lalu mulayam amar singh and co will jump in....

then convert them if they are so much concerned

 

[Philosopher1]

then convert them if they are so much concerned

Then who will "Jump" ???