The government on Tuesday withdrew Haj subsidy from this year in a bid to end minority appeasement.The decision is a part of the government's agenda to empower the minority community.Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday said the withdrawal of the subsidy would not affect the cost of the travel for Haj.Despite the subsidy withdrawal, a record number of 1.75 lakh Muslims will undertake the pilgrimage this year from India, Naqvi told reporters.
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.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.
The Tribune mentioned Naqavi as saying that the subsidy would now be used for the purpose of educating minorities.Earlier this year, Naqvi had said that the Centre would abolish the subsidy for Haj pilgrims in accordance with a Supreme Court order.
A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had, during the Congress regime in 2012, directed that the Haj subsidy is 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," he had said.
