Government  withdraws Haj subsidy to pilgrims

Announcing the decision of the ruling government to withdraw the Haj subsidy on Tuesday, January 16th, 2018, the Minority affairs minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that, “The funds spent on the Haj subsidy will be used for educational empowerment of girls and women of the minority community.”

This withdrawal was welcomed by many Muslims as their religion stipulates the holy visit to Haj in Saudi Arabia at least once in a lifetime, for those who can themselves afford the cost. The government’s decision was in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order from May 2012 as the top court had asked the government to gradually phase out the subsidy and abolish it by 2022

The Haj subsidy which was in place since 1970 was basically the then Indira Gandhi government’s effort to promote air travel, especially through its public carrier Air India by paying it (and not the pilgrim) a paltry sum of Rs 10,000 per seat. Every Muslim leader including the MIM chief Asadudddin Owaisi has gone on record asking for a withdrawal of this so-called subsidy (again not to the Pilgrim).