The government of India had been giving air travel subsidy for Haj pilgrims since 1954. On Tuesday, after a gap of 64 years, the government decided to fully withdraw the subsidy and the money saved would be spent on education of Muslim students.
There has been persistent demand from sections of society to remove the subsidy completely. The Supreme Court had, in 2012, asked the government to completely phase out Haj subsidy. On the face of it, the subsidy was not benefiting Haj pilgrims, but the airlines, who were getting the subsidy directly from the government.
Muslim clerics, the ulema and Haj pilgrims understand this, but leaders like Azam Khan are looking for political motive behind this decision. The withdrawal of subsidy is a step in the right direction and there is no need to politicize the issue.
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