April 2, 2010

The budget surprises you missed. - The Haj subsidy

" The budget surprises you missed. "
I am referring an article in Business Today magazine ( April 4, 2010). An interesting, but surprising, article lists down a few surprises we all missed in the recent Central Budget. This includes :
The asset register of the Centre ... I am (nor most of you would) not surprised. That's just an information.
Down with downsizing. That's regarding the increasing (against the needs) government size (the staff strengthwise). That too is not anything serious to me.
The least and the most taxed. Yes this is a certainly an interesting news. The most taxed are the Beauty parlors ! And the least are the Forest contractors. That's not justice.. isn't it ?  

The last one here is ...  The Haj high-jack !
This is about the subsidies and the Govt.'s politics playing with... Let me quote :
" While much debate has taken place over the spurt in food and fertiliser subsidies in the recent years ... another subsidy that has skyrocketed in terms of growth rate is the Haj subsidy. In each of the past two years, the actual amount spent on this subsidy has overshot the estimate by over 50%. The Govt now spends close to 1000 crores a year on this only subsidy for a religious pilgrimage. Moreover, India is the only country to provide a Haj subsidy. Pakisthan was the other country to have provided this subsidy, but it discontinued it in the late 1990s. Surely there are better ways of spending the same money on minority welfare without losing out on vote bank politics."

Over 1000 crores for Haj pilgrimage (that too for the rich class of people) !
Not even Pakisthan does this !!


This is almost a secretive expenditure. Does not BJP or other parties know this ??  They must be !


Even at my age of 60, I could not visit Kashi or Ramesvaram. I could not afford to travel/stay there. No one ever gave me a subsidy for travel.. not abroad... well within my own country. Foreseeing this, our Gurus have told us that GOD is everywhere, and you may pray at your choice. Not necessarily at Kashi . So, I keep praying in my bedroom with the post card size picture of Lord Shiva

Will our Govt give me a 50% subsidy for my inland travel for pilgrimage ?
This is exactly the question Mr.John, my close friend, too asks. He wanted to visit St.Francis Church at Cochin. He can't afford the travel expenses. Will the Govt give him a subsidy for travel ?


Our Govt may not do this . But they would spend over 1000 crores (may be 2000 crores this year) for the pilgrimage of the richest Muslims to Mecca.
Is this justifiable ? Where is justice ?

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