What is meant by security and logistics being provided for those going to Mecca and Mansarovar?
What logistics? Vehicle, airlift or what?
Are there subsidies to go to Mansarovar? I thought that it is through travel organisers.
Mansaover is in Tibet and is the Chinese allowing India to provide logistics and security?
Does India provide any logistics and security for Mecca visit?
I was referring to logistics within India until the Haj pilgirms embark from the country and then when the return and disburse back to their homes.
You have close to 200 000 people travelling out and back in a short period of time, you have to arrange for crowd control, medical facilities and extra security just because of the large number of people involved. Then you have the logistics of assigning visas to tour operators and processing Haj visa appliacations
Then you have the cost in appoiting the MEA as the nodal ministry to organise the Haj and sign the Haj visa agreements with the Saudi govt. Ofcourse, just like in MAnsarovar yatra, the trip by itself would be borne by the pilgrims with no "subsidy"
In the Kailash Mansraovar yatra, the MEA is the nodal body that organises the trip just like int he Haj and it also incurs administrative costs in the normal course of duties in getting visa from the Chinese govt. and arranging the Yatra itself. MEA also appoints liason officers whose trip is funded by the MEA to take care of things like communication, medical requirements and air-evacuation in case of emergency (
http://mea.gov.in/staticfile/kailash/liaison.pdf)
But since the Saudi govt. appoints and takes care of these, the MEA has no need provide that.
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And welcoming of the SC order from all sections of the Muslim community as expected
Muslims welcome Haj ruling
New Delhi, May 8: Muslim leaders and clerics today welcomed the Supreme Court order for progressive elimination of the Haj subsidy, and demanded the Haj committee be allowed to float international tenders for chartered flights to carry the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
They pointed out that Air India's Haj fares are higher than other airlines' fares on the same routes, because under Saudi rules, the carrier's planes have to return empty after dropping the pilgrims and again fly to Saudi empty to bring them back.
But private airlines are expected to offer lower fares during the bidding if a tender is floated, said Zafaryab Jilani, an All India Muslim Personal Law Board member.
Mufti Maulana Abdul Qasim Nomani termed the subsidy un-Islamic, saying Islam does not permit Muslims to take money from anybody for Haj — a point the court itself made.
"The government started giving the subsidy for obvious reasons, as nobody from the community had asked for it," he said.
Jilani said the law board had been demanding the abolition of the Haj subsidy for several years. He added that Air India's Haj high fares means the bulk of the subsidy goes to it instead of the pilgrim.
"The subsidy is mainly aimed at bailing out the sick Air India. We have been demanding abolition of the subsidy and the floating of a global tender for chartered flights," he said.
"Since 1.25 lakh pilgrims go to Mecca to perform Haj through the Haj committee, a global tender will bring competition from several airlines and this would automatically lead to a fall in fare."
Minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid welcomed the order and said the government had been working in the same direction. "The issue of Haj subsidy has been already under consideration for over the last four years and discussions had taken place for rollback of Haj subsidy."
He said the government was also working to ensure there was no burden on the pilgrims and the financial arrangements with the airlines were "more viable".
"I hope it will even out and balance out. This is my impression," he said.
Around 1.7 lakh Indians will go on Haj this year in September-October. Of them, 1.25 lakh will go through the Haj committee and the rest with the help of private tour operators.
Zafarul Islam Khan, working president of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, said the government had started the practice of giving Haj subsidy in 1973.
"The subsidy stops the pilgrims from flying private airlines, some of which offer more attractive packages, including hotel rooms and transport within Saudi Arabia at the same or lower price."
He suggested the government also look for an alternative mechanism modelled on the Malaysian concept of Tabung Haji, which allows Hajis to make the pilgrimage by investing their own money in an "Islamic, Shariat-compliant" way.
They put whatever amount they can afford into a kitty and can withdraw it whenever they want to go on Haj.
Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) expressed happiness at the apex court order.
"The subsidy money should be invested in the education of minority girls and for their overall development," he said.