NDA Govt a boon for Hajis

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NDA Govt a boon for Hajis

The Pioneer : January 20, 2003

NDA Govt a boon for Hajis

 

Though often charged with being anti-minority, the National

Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government led by Prime Minister Atal

Bihari Vajpayee has succeeded in increasing the quota of Haj pilgrims

from India to an all time high of 1,20,000.

 

Twelve embarkation points at different airports have been made

operational to facilitate the holy pilgrimage. In addition to that,

there has been no increase in the air fare for the Hajis, despite the

spiraling costs in the civil aviation sector.

 

 

 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has sanctioned a grant of Rs 163 crore

for the pilgrimage, which is 16 times more that what P V Narsimha Rao

used to spend for Haj pilgrims in 1994. By initiating steps for

making the journey to Mecca a pleasant experience and extending the

flight facilities to Kozhikode in Kerala, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad,

Lucknow, Nagpur, Gaya and Srinagar, apart from the existing five

airports, the lone Muslim minister in the Vajpayee Government, Syed

Shahnawaz Hussain, has emerged as a "Muslim leader".

 

 

 

He was accorded a rousing welcome in Nagpur city by Muslims after he

provided embarkation facilities to Hajis at Nagpur airport. It was a

significant step as Nagpur houses the headquarters of Rashtriya

Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

 

 

 

Exclusively talking to The Pioneer, the youngest minister in the

Union Cabinet, Mr Hussain on Saturday said, the facilities provided

to Hajis by the Vajpayee Government has been unprecedented as it has

proved that it cares for the Muslims of the country. Himself a

Muslim, Mr Hussain said, those who doubt the credentials of the Union

Government must look at the performance of previous Government vis-a-

vis providing facilities for the Muslims for the pilgrimage.

 

 

 

"After Indonesia, India has the second largest Muslim population in

the world. A conscious decision to increase the Indian quota for Haj

was made to fulfil the aspirations of Muslims, who intend to take the

holy pilgrimage. Union Government in consultation with the Government

of Saudi Arabia, succeeded in increasing the quota to 1.20 lakh".

 

 

 

The practice of chartered flight has been discontinued as it was

found that it was proving too costly and Hajis were made to wait in

Jeddah for two to three days. In 2002 Civil Aviation Ministry

negotiated with Saudi Arab Airlines and augmented the flights of Air

India (AI) and Indian Airlines (IA).

 

 

 

The flights have scheduled in such a manner to avoid inconvenience to

the passengers of AI and IA. In 2002 the on time performance of the

Haj flights was 98 per cent and there was not even a single complaint

from the Hajis, the minister added. Taking a dig at the previous

Congress governments, Mr Hussain said, the fate of Hajis was decided

by lottery system. It has been ensured that whosoever applied for the

pilgrimage must get an opportunity for the pilgrimage. Unlike other

governments, the Vajpayee government is not taking any credit for

extending the facilities to Muslims. The government has been spending

the same amount on Hajis, since it came to power. It has been

providing Rs 23,000 as subsidy to every pilgrim while Congress

governments were spending only Rs 5,000, he said.

 

 

 

Apart from providing subsidy and increasing the quota for the

pilgrims, the Government has deputed 400 Government personnel, which

includes, 107 doctors, 125 para medical staff, 37 Haj officers and

131 Haj assistants. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has

earmarked Rs 15 crore for providing free medical help, foreign

exchange, immigration and customs, security and the appointment of

staff on deputation. It is for everyone to see that who really cares

for Muslims, the Vajpayee Government or others, Mr Hussain added.