JEDDAH, 2 March 2007 — In accordance with the government’s concern about minority welfare and other issues, a six-member group has been constituted to look into different aspects of Haj operations to make it more convenient, attractive and useful for the pilgrims, a source said.
“The group of ministers constituted to review Haj management has decided to set up an ‘Expert Group’ with a view to bring in transparency in Haj operations and to look into issues of subsidy, logistics and air fare related to the Haj pilgrimage,” the source said. Earlier, Indian government had formed a group of ministers to look into Haj affairs.
The Expert Group, headed by Hamid Ansari, former Indian diplomat and chairman National Commission for Minorities, includes Iqbal Ahmad Saradgi, chairman, Haj Committee of India, Ishrat Aziz, former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian ambassador and director general Indian Council of World Affairs, Afzal Amanullah, former Indian consul general to Jeddah and home secretary, government of Bihar and Sanjay Singh, joint secretary (Gulf and Haj), Ministry of External Affairs, the source said.
The first meeting of the group will be held on March 5 at the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. Many Haj-related issues will be deliberated upon in detail in the meeting so that the group comes up with some comprehensive and workable solution, keeping in view fast-changing dimensions and cost of Haj in India as well as Saudi Arabia, the source said.
The Ministry of External Affairs will provide the secretarial assistance to the group, which will also be assisted by different ministries and institutions in its deliberations and recommendations, the source said.
Indian government gives huge subsidy on Haj travel, which was challenged in the Allahabad High Court last year, which ruled against the subsidy. But the Supreme Court later stayed the High Court order restraining the central government from providing financial subsidy to Haj pilgrims. However, the order pertained to Haj pilgrimage for 2007 only and the government is awaiting its final verdict. The matter of subsidy will be examined thoroughly in the meeting of the Expert Group on March 5.
A group of MPs headed by K. Rahman Khan, deputy chairman of the upper house of Parliament, has already submitted a report related to Muslims issues, including Haj, to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
