Did national carrier Air India and a Saudi airline fatten themselves on
the Haj subsidy granted by the Centre for Muslims to fly budget to
Jeddah?
Every year in August, close to a lakh and a half Indian pilgrims go for Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam. For the pilgrimage, they either travel on their own or sign up with the Haj Committee of India (HCOI), which acts as a travel agent on behalf of the government and arranges travel and stay for a fee.
Last year, of the 99,902 hajjis who travelled to Jeddah piggybacking on the HCOI, a pilgrim paid Rs 2,19,900, which included a “subsidized return airfare” of Rs 45,000. The air fare is a rip-off because when booked months in advance, the Delhi-Jeddah return ticket is available for around Rs 30,000 during the peak season.
On Monday, Etihad offered a seat on its Jeddah flight from the farthest corner of India at Rs 39,846 for August 24 which is during peak-season.
So, do the figures show that pilgrims are paying the market fare or a little more, and the subsidy is a merely a financial sleight of hand to keep the ailing Air India afloat? It seemingly works more or less like the garment sellers who offer big discounts on marked-up rates.
In its 2016-17 budget, the Central Government allocated Rs 450 crore for Haj subsidy, which was at least Rs 2 crore more than what ISRO spent for its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). The money is entirely used to subsidise the air fare payable by the Haj pilgrims, and that subsidy amount is being whittled down every year in tune with the Supreme Court order, which in 2012 asked to phase out Haj subsidy in 10 years.
To Read the News in Full 16/01/17 Anoop George Philip/Outlook
Every year in August, close to a lakh and a half Indian pilgrims go for Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam. For the pilgrimage, they either travel on their own or sign up with the Haj Committee of India (HCOI), which acts as a travel agent on behalf of the government and arranges travel and stay for a fee.
Last year, of the 99,902 hajjis who travelled to Jeddah piggybacking on the HCOI, a pilgrim paid Rs 2,19,900, which included a “subsidized return airfare” of Rs 45,000. The air fare is a rip-off because when booked months in advance, the Delhi-Jeddah return ticket is available for around Rs 30,000 during the peak season.
On Monday, Etihad offered a seat on its Jeddah flight from the farthest corner of India at Rs 39,846 for August 24 which is during peak-season.
So, do the figures show that pilgrims are paying the market fare or a little more, and the subsidy is a merely a financial sleight of hand to keep the ailing Air India afloat? It seemingly works more or less like the garment sellers who offer big discounts on marked-up rates.
In its 2016-17 budget, the Central Government allocated Rs 450 crore for Haj subsidy, which was at least Rs 2 crore more than what ISRO spent for its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). The money is entirely used to subsidise the air fare payable by the Haj pilgrims, and that subsidy amount is being whittled down every year in tune with the Supreme Court order, which in 2012 asked to phase out Haj subsidy in 10 years.
To Read the News in Full 16/01/17 Anoop George Philip/Outlook
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