Haj subsidy

The Haj subsidy is an airfare subsidy given to Indian Muslim Hajj pilgrims. Pilgrims applying through the Haj Committee of India are offered the concessionary fare. The Government of India pays the subsidy to Air India.

Cost

In 2007 the Haj subsidy paid by the Indian government was 5.95 billion rupees, and for 2008 it was Rs. 7.7 billion. Since 1994 the round trip cost to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has been fixed at Rs. 12,000 per pilgrim, and the government has footed the rest of the bill. In 2007 the government spent Rs. 47,454 per passenger.Shauvik Ghosh, , The Financial Express, 13 September 2008, accessed 26 June 2009

Supreme Court verdict

B.N. Shukla and former BJP Rajya Sabha member Prafull Goradiya filed Public Interest Litigation seeking to end Haj subsidies by declaring government funding of pilgrimages outside India to be unconstitutional. In response, the Supreme Court of India decided to permit the Haj subsidy to continue, citing the example of the far smaller subsidies (Rs 200 per...
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