Author: Bhavna Vij
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 30, 2002
URL: http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=8507
Note from the Hindu Vivek Kendra:
It would be interesting to see if the secularists support this proposal.
On direction from the Cabinet, the
Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) has sent a package of proposals to ''reduce
progressively and eventually eliminate'' Haj subsidy.
These include withdrawing subsidy
from those pilgrims who pay income tax, restricting concessions to ''once
in the lifetime,'' and raising the basic fare.
Since 1994, pilgrims pay Rs 12,000
while the cost per passenger for the round trip comes to about Rs 35,000.
The Ministry, which is the nodal agency for Haj operations, has proposed
that the fare be raised to Rs 18,000, the minimum qualifying age be set
at 50 and the number of subsidised pilgrims be brought down from 72,000
to 50,000 per year.
Confirming the proposal, Minister
for Civil Aviation Shahnawaz Hussain told The Indian Express: ''It was
felt that subsidies should be availed of by the genuinely needy, not everybody
across the board.''
In addition to the Department of
Civil Aviation, representatives of the Central Haj Committee, Ministry
of External Affairs and Directorate General of Civil Aviation were also
associated with air-charter negotiations. Air India has been making travel
arrangements for Haj pilgrims since 1995.
