Saudi Arabia okays India's plan to ferry Haj pilgrims via sea route: Naqvi "Saudi Arabia has given its nod to revive the option of sending pilgrims by sea route...Officials from both the countries will discuss all the necessary formalities and technicalities so that Haj pilgrimage through sea route can be started in the coming years," Naqvi said according to the statement.

over 1,300 women would go on Haj without a "mehram +

NEW DELHI: In keeping with Supreme Court orders and its own political plank, the Modi government will no longer provide subsidy to Haj pilgrims and has pledged that funds saved will be used for the education of minorities, particularly girl children."There will be no subsidy for Haj from this year," minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the media on Tuesday during an interaction at the BJP headquarters and said that the move is part of an effort to "empower minorities without appeasement".The decision is a political signal as well, as BJP has argued that the subsidy, essentially for air travel, is a demonstrative sop for Muslims and a diversion of funds that might be better utilised.Significantly, the decision did not evoke a protest from Congress, which maintained it has no objections to the end of the subsidy as long as the funds were utilised for minority welfare.BJP functionaries, however, emphasised that Congress had shown no urgency to act on the matter when it was in office after the SC ruled in May 2012 that the subsidy be eliminated in 10 years. While subsidies have been dismantled, a record number of 1.75 lakh Muslims will go on the Haj pilgrimage this year, Naqvi said and claimed that this will be the highest since Independence.The government will invest what it saves for minority education. It had spent over Rs 250 crore last year on subsidising the travel to Saudi Arabia, he said. Restrictions on pilgrims having to take flights from their place of stay or nearest airports have been relaxed and this will lead to cheaper air travel, Naqvi said. It will also allow Haj travellers to take advantage of bulk bookings while the government will continue to spend on medical expenses.The decision to end the subsidy for Haj pilgrims follows a 2012 Supreme Court order to do away with the subsidy, long sought by BJP. Following the order, the subsidy was gradually rolled back and has now ended.Naqvi said allowing choice of embarkation port gives pilgrims the option of cheaper travel. A pilgrim from Gaya would pay Rs 1,20,000 but if he or she travels from Kolkata, the cost would be Rs 70,000. Similarly, it would cost Rs 1,10,000 from Srinagar but the cost would come down to Rs 60,000 from Delhi. The cost would be Rs 1 lakh from Indore and Rs 58,000 from Mumbai, respectively, the minister said. These are figures according to 2017 rates.The Saudi Arabian government has agreed to allow Indians to go on Haj by the sea route and officials of the two countries will work out the modalities, he said. Haj pilgrims from certain regions will have an additional option to choose from where they want to fly to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage, he said and claimed that this would bring down the cost by up to 70 per cent on some routes.The minister said, in a first,(male guardian)", a practice done away with from this year. Female Haj assistants would accompany them and the government has made arrangements for their stay in Saudi Arabia.Some Muslim leaders said the subsidy was an eyewash. "The subsidy was not given to those going on Haj but it was for Air India that is running in losses," All India Muslim Personal Law Board general secretary Maulana Wali Rahmani told PTI in Lucknow."In normal days, tickets for Saudi Arabia come for Rs 32,000 but during Haj, Air India used to charge Rs 65,000 to Rs 1 lakh from those going for Haj. The fare will be less without subsidy," he said. All India Shia Personal Law Board chairman Yasoob Abbas, on the other hand, told PTI the board favoured subsidy on Haj as he said it benefited the poor.