New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The ministries of minorityaffairs and external affairs are expected to discuss theCentre's proposed Haj Policy as also the suggestions receivedfrom stakeholders next week, sources said today.
The review meeting -- expected to be attended by MinorityAffairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, senior officials fromthe two ministries and the Haj Committee of India (HCI) -- isscheduled to be held on November 2 here, the sources said.
Prior to that, the HCI and Haj committees from states andUnion Territories (UTs) are scheduled to discuss the draftpolicy at two separate meetings to be held in Mumbai, theysaid.
The state and UTs Haj committees will deliberate on thedraft on October 30 in the Maharashtra capital, which housesthe headquarters of the HCI, and submit its suggestions.
The draft policy will again be placed before the HCI aday later along with the suggestions and comments made by thestates and UTs.
"The draft policy will be placed before the reviewcommittee along with suggestions made by all stakeholders atevery level. It is in this committee's meeting that it will bedecided when to place the draft before the apex court asinstructed by it," a source in the minority affairs ministrysaid.
The policy -- drafted by a panel with former Unionsecretary Afzal Amanullah as its convener -- has been workedout in light of a 2012 Supreme Court order asking the Centreto abolish the Haj subsidy gradually by 2022. The draft policywas submitted to the minority affairs ministry earlier thismonth.
Abolishing subsidy for Haj pilgrims and allowing womenabove 45 to travel in a group of at least four withoutaccompanied by a male member (called Mehram) are some of thekey suggestions of the draft policy, sources said.
Till now, a woman pilgrim could not travel without aMehram, a relative like her father, brother or son whom shecannot marry at anytime in her life.
Women aged below 45, however, will have to be accompaniedby male Mehrams, according to the policy. The draft policyproposes to increase the quota for Mehrams from 200 to 500.
The draft also recommends bringing down the number ofembarkation points (EPs) from which pilgrims can take flightsto Saudi Arabia from the present 21 to nine.
The committee has also said that privatisation of AirIndia will have serious consequences on Haj operations andsuggested the minority affairs and civil aviation ministriesprepare their response in case the proposed disinvestment goesthrough. PTI ENM ZMNNSD.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
