National
Slashed Haj airfares to offset withdrawal of subisdy
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) The airfares for the Haj pilgrims this year have been slashed and a Saudi airline has been roped in to carry passengers, besides Air India, at the instance of the government — a move that would offset the impact of withdrawl of Haj subsidy, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced on Tuesday.
The airfare from New Delhi to Jeddah and back, which was Rs 98,750 in 2013-14 as fixed by the UPA government, has now been reduced to Rs 71,853. Similarly, the airfare from Hyderabad would be Rs 65,766 instead of Rs 1,01,600 previously, Naqvi told the media.
The most drastic cut in the airfare has been made for Srinagar which will now cost Rs 1,01,400 instead of Rs 1,98,350.
The government has also roped in a private airline — the Saudi Arabia-based “flynas” — for ferrying Haj pilgrims this year. It would operate from six embarkation points. The rest 14 embarkation points would be handled by the Air India and Saudi Airlines in equal numbers.
“The Saudi Airlines had said that they would charge as much fare as the Air India does. Nothing less, nothing more. Since we persuaded Air India to slash its fares, the Saudi Airlines readily agreed to reduce its fares equally,” Naqvi said.
The decision by the two airlines would offset the impact of withdrawal of Haj subsidy and make the pilgrimage more economical, he said.
The decision to cut the airfares came after hectic parleys between the Minority Affairs Ministry, Civil Aviation Ministry and the Air India that currently has the monopoly over flying Haj pilgrims to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and back.
The announcement would end the uncertainty and anxiety over the final cost of the Haj 2018 that was looming ever since the government had announced complete withdrawal of Haj subsidy from this year.
The reduced airfares plus the government’s decision to allow pilgrims for the first time to choose embarkation points from where travel cost is less than a pilgrim’s hometown/ state capital, would ensure that the cost of Haj 2018 per pilgrim is slightly less than that of last year, or at least would not be much costlier despite the withdrawal of subsidy.
Calling the decision “historic”, Naqvi said that the move was in consonance with the Narendra Modi government’s motto of “Development with Dignity”.
“The earlier governments led by Congress doled out subsidy as a favour and as alms. Even the Muslims did not like it as one is not supposed to perform Haj by taking alms or monetary favours. We have ensured that Muslims perform Haj with dignity, with their own money and that too more economically,” Naqvi said.
“So this has ended the hoax of subsidy,” he added.
However, the final cost of the pilgrimage is not likely to come down drastically as the accommodation in Saudi Arabia has got expensive over the last years.
In 2017, the Haj Committee of India (HCI) charged Rs 200,000 for Haj with ordinary accommodation (Azizia) and Rs 234,000 for deluxe accommodation (Green), which is closer to the Haram in Mecca.
“Over the last year, the electricity tariff in Saudi Arabia has shot up three times. Also, the petrol prices have doubled. The accommodation cost is also going up. These factors may result in a hike in the total Haj cost this year,” HCI Chairman Mehboob Ali Kaiser had told IANS in January.
“It will be unfair to expect the same costs for everything in Saudi Arabia after a threefold rise in electricity prices and doubling of petrol prices. Secondly, the Saudis are cussed bargainers and we have to really haggle hard with them for every riyal,” he had added.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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