In a significant move, the BJP-led Centre announced this morning that financial subsidy provided to Haj pilgrims was being scrapped with immediate effect.

The money saved by scrapping the subsidy would be spent on educating the girl child, it has been intimated. Trip to Haj is considered as one of the five most important chores in a Muslm’s life. Each year, lakhs of Haj pilgrims are granted financial subsidy by the Centre. The subsidy is managed by the Ministry of Minorities.

During the current year, the Centre has received a whopping number of 1.75 lakh applications for consideration to undertake the Haj trip. Rs.450 crores was spent last year for granting subsidy. Union Minister for Minorities Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced the Centre’s decision today to roll back the subsidy for Haj pilgrims.

“The Rs.750 crores proposed as subsidy earlier would now be spent on educating the girl child throughout the country,” Naqvi said. Each Haj trips somewhere around Rs.3-4 lakhs per person. Naqvi also announced that an MOU has been signed with Saudi Arabia to set in motion ships to ferry India’s Haj pilgrims to Mecca and back.

It may be recalled that while taking up a Haj-related case way back in 2012, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to reduce the subsidy in a phased manner. The cut in subsidy announced today by the Ministry of Minority Affairs is said to be based on the above-said direction of the apex Court.