Draft policy for abolishing Haj subsidy

Mumbai, October 7 

Abolishing subsidy for Haj pilgrims and allowing women devotees above 45 to travel in a group of at least four without a male are some of the key highlights of a proposed Haj policy drafted by a committee appointed by the Centre, sources said.

The proposed Haj Policy 2018-22, by a panel headed by former secretary Afzal Amanullah, also recommends bringing down the number of embarkation points (EPs) from which pilgrims can take flights to Saudi Arabia from the present 21 to nine.

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The draft was submitted to Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi here today. “The 2018 Haj pilgrimage will be in line with the new Haj policy. It is a better policy, looking at the facilities proposed. It will ensure safety and security of pilgrims,” Naqvi said.

The policy has been drafted in light of a 2012 Supreme Court order asking the Centre to abolish the subsidy gradually by 2022, sources  said.

“The highlight is abolishing the subsidy. Besides, it proposes another major reform — of allowing women above 45 to undertake journey without a male Mehram in a group of four,” sources said.

Till now, women devotees could not travel without a male Mehram. The term Mehram refers to a male a woman cannot marry at anytime in her life (i.e. father, brother or son, etc). Women below 45, however, will have to be accompanied by male Mehrams, according to the policy. It also proposes to increase the quota for Mehrams from 200 to 500.

The cut in funds meant for subsidy will be used for educational empowerment and welfare of Muslims.

The policy suggests sending pilgrims by ship, relatively less expensive than flights. The policy says the Saudi government will be consulted.

The EPs will be Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Cochin.  India has an annual Haj quota of 1.7 lakh devotees. — PTI