>From: "Sanjib Baruah" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Rajib Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Cc: <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: Zaziya and Kaphirs - defined in detail >Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001 05:45:44 -0400 > >Thought this would be of interest to the discussion. The question of Haj >subsidy is intensely debated among Muslims in India. >Apart from the issue of subsidy itself, as it happens with public funds in >India so often, the question of corruption is also part of the debate. The >following editorial is from a publication called Islamic Voice. > >http://www.islamicvoice.com/august.98/editorial.htm > >Scrap Haj Subsidy > > >There seems to be something murky about the question of subsidy being >offered by the Government of India towards the air-fare for the Haj >pilgrims. In his public announcements, Haj Committee Chairman Mr. >Salamatullah claims the subsidy amounts to Rs. 5,000 for each pilgrim. But >going by the figures for the total subsidy claimed by the Haj Committee from >the Government of India for the Haj 1998 i.e., Rs. 123 crore, it is clear >that the amount is somewhere around Rs. 18,777 for each pilgrim. It may be >recalled that nearly 66,000 pilgrims performed Haj this year under the >auspices of the Central Haj Committee. The gap between the announcement and >the demand of subsidy is too yawning to be ignored. Obviously, everything is >not hunky-dory in the Committee. The Haj Committee cannot continue its game >of fooling the Muslims and the Government for long. It is time it explained >its act. There is all the scope to probe if somebody, somewhere is keeping >someone in the dark, if not exactly making a cut. There are two aspects to >the question. First is the legitimacy of the subsidy demanded as a right by >the Committee and the second is the issue of making the Haj less expensive. >The two issues should not be confused with each other and need to be dealt >separately by the Muslims. Haj subsidy is violative of the spirit of Haj and >is expected to come under public scrutiny, for no secular dispensation could >continue with such a blatantly partisan largesse for the rich section of >Muslims. As for the former, let it be recognised that Haj is an Islamic >obligation for those who can afford the costs involved in its performance. >That today's governments undertake to organise the pilgrimage should be no >excuse to demand the subsidy. There can be no justification for this kind of >largesses. It will be morally inaccurate for Muslims to even demand >subsidies for Haj even under an Islamic governance. > >But as the facilitator for all such affairs, it will be quite legitimate to >explore all avenues for making the travel cheaper and journey comfortable. >But the current ongoings within the Haj Committee point to something that >fits into no category of rules. The Committee owes an answer to the Muslims >and the Government alike as to where the huge amount of money is going. It >does not behove an organisation like Haj Committee to maintain so vast a >disparity in its professions and practice. The Haj Committee is >illegitimately bleeding the Government to subsidise air travel for Muslim >Hajis in a country where the subsidies for even rationed food from the >Public Distribution System are being withdrawn in a phased manner under the >Structural Adjustment Programme. Not alone this. Taking advantage of these >sops, rich Muslims are becoming habituated to repeat pilgrimages year after >year, something undesirable in Islam itself. > >Besides the need to come clean on the large amount of subsidy (Rs. 18,000 >against the declared sum of Rs. 5,000), the Haj Committee also needs to >explain as to why and how the airfare between Jeddah and various >destinations within India is pegged at Rs. 30,000 (only Rs. 12,000 being >recovered from the pilgrims.) This is a grossly inflated amount, given the >fact that different airlines and tour operators provide the air travel on >the route for Rs. 22,000. Understandably, the Committee would explain away >the reason that the Haj travel by chartered flights involves two empty >flights by the chartered aircraft, first after unloading the passengers at >Jeddah and later while flying to Jeddah to collect back the Hajis. But then >chartering aircraft itself should have meant substantial decrease in >expenses. No air operations are as huge as Haj in India. There is need to >look into the chartering arrangements by an independent committee comprising >aviation experts. Role of the chartering committee and Air India should be >probed in this context. Perhaps, provision could be made to use the empty >flights to bring Gulf Indians to the country provided the Saudi authorities >permit such passenger operations. Such an arrangement would greatly bring >down the cost of chartered operations. > >In this connection, the suggestion to constitute a Haj Air Corporation by >Mr. Rahman Khan, member of Parliament, is worth considering. Mr. Khan has >called for setting up this Corporation with a capital of Rs. 500 crore on >the lines of arrangements in Malaysia. Each half of the capital could be >raised through shares from Muslims of India and the Government. According to >proposals, the capital could be invested in buying aircraft which besides >carrying pilgrims during the Haj season, would be leased out for commercial >operations during non-Haj season. > >But the point at issue currently is to probe the subsidy question which >unless tackled immediately, would, in all likelihood, provide a handle to >the fascist organisations to extract political mileage. > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Rajib Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Cc: <[email protected]> >Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 7:44 AM >Subject: Re: Zaziya and Kaphirs - defined in detail > > >> >> Isn't subsidizing the cost of Haj pilgrimage anti-Islamic? And isn't that >> why no other country in the world provides subsidy.... >> >> >> >From: Santanu Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >CC: [email protected] >> >Subject: Re: Zaziya and Kaphirs - defined in detail >> >Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 22:57:48 -0400 >> > >> >> >> _________________________________________________________________ >> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp >>
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