Centre abolishes Haj subsidy

Announcing this, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the decision is in line with the Government’s agenda to empower minorities without appeasement.

Naqvi said that for the first time in independent India, 1.75 lakh pilgrims will go to Haj without a subsidy. Last year 1.25 lakh pilgrims from India went to Haj.

The decision to abolish Haj subsidy comes day after Government allowed Muslim women, above the age of 45, to go on haj without male guardian, in a group of at least four.

The Union Minister  said the Government  will save Rs 700 crore by stopping the subsidy. The funds would be used for the education of minorities, particularly girls, he added.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs had, last year, constituted a  six-member committee to review the existing Haj policy, including subsidy issue  in the light of a 2012 Supreme Court order on gradually reducing and abolishing subsidy given to pilgrims by 2022.

The committee suggested that women above 45 years be allowed to perform Haj without a ‘Mehram’ (a male relative by blood) in a group of four or more.

Also, it recommended that coupons for ‘Adahi’ (sacrifice of animals) be made compulsory for all the pilgrims and the quota of Mehram be increased from the present 200 to 500, he said.

The committee also suggested that the number of embarkation points (EPs) be reduced from 21 to nine and those should be at Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kochi. It also recommended that suitable Haj houses be built at these EPs, Naqvi said.