Centre ends Haj subsidy, says will use funds to empower minorities

Minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that there will be no Haj subsidy from this year. The minister added that the funds will now be used for educational empowerment of women and girls from the minority community.  Naqvi told reporters that despite this withdrawal, a record number of 1.75 lakh Muslims will undertake the pilgrimage from India this year.

"This is part of our policy to empower minorities with dignity and without appeasement," Naqvi told reporters and cited a host of measures for the welfare of minorities.

Naqvi had said a while back that Centre would abolish this subsidy in accordance to a Supreme Court order.  The Centre had formed a six-member committee to look into the issue of reducing and abolishing the subsidy by 2022.

"A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had, during the Congress regime in 2012, directed that the Haj subsidy be done away with. Hence, in the new policy, as per the recommendations of a committee, we have decided to do away with the Haj subsidy gradually," Naqvi said.

Only a day ago the government allowed Muslim women over the age of 45 years to go on pilgrimage without a male guardian but also in groups of four.

Naqvi also said that the Saudi Arabian government has in principle agreed to allow Haj journey from India by ships and officials of the two countries will sit together to finalise the modalities.

The Haj subsidy is given to Muslim Haj pilgrims in the form of discounted Air India fares.

(With PTI inputs)