by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Representational image
New Delhi : Taking ahead the process of ferrying Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia by the sea route, the government has floated global tenders for roping in shipping companies and the operations may start as early as the next Haj season, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi informed on Monday.
“There has been much progress on this front. The Saudi Arabia government’s consent has already been obtained and now we have floated global tenders to rope in shipping companies to ferry Indian Haj pilgrims to Jeddah,” Naqvi said.
“We have set a target to complete all the process by 2019. However, there are many other things which we need to consider including the security of the pilgrims as there are some stressed stretches on the route such as Syria. If everything goes right, we may be able to ferry the pilgrims from next year itself, that is, Haj 2019,” he added.
Travelling by ship is likely to significantly reduce the travel cost and make Haj affordable to many more people, Naqvi said. However, the Minister said, it was hard to tell at this point how much the actual reduction in the fare would be.
“Initially, there would be only one embarkation point for the pilgrims choosing to travel by sea and it would be Mumbai. The modern ships can cover the 2,300-odd nautical miles distance between Mumbai and Jeddah in three to four days,” Naqvi said.
Haj travel by sea was discontinued in 1995 as MV Akbari, the ship which used to ferry the pilgrims, aged and became unfit for use. The idea to revive the sea route was mooted by the Minority Affairs Ministry last year to offset the effect of the subsequent withdrawal of subsidy.
The government has withdrawn the Haj subsidy from this year. However, the cost has not gone up drastically, as had been feared, due to a number of effective steps taken by the government such as negotiating with the airlines to rationalise the air fares and giving the pilgrims the option to choose their embarkation point.
This year, 1,75,025 pilgrims from India will go for Haj. Of these, 1,28,702 pilgrims will go through the Haj Committee of India — which includes about 47 per cent women — while 47,323 Haj pilgrims will go through private tour operators, Naqvi said.
A total of 3,55,604 applications had been received for Haj, including 1,89,217 male and 1,66,387 female applicants.
Besides, for the first time Muslim women from India will also go to Haj without ‘mehram’ (male companion). A total of 1,308 women applied to go for Haj without mehram and all of them have been granted permission by the government.
“This year, we are also setting up two 40-bed hospitals in Mecca, one 15-bed hospital in Medina, 10 branch dispensaries in Mecca, three dispensaries in Medina and one at Jeddah Haj terminal to provide better healthcare facilities to the Indian Hajis,” Naqvi said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews
By Mohd Asim Khan,
New Delhi : The government is ready to discuss the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha and was open to suggestions from the opposition — but referring it to a Select Committee made no sense, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill — commonly called the triple talaq bill as it criminalises “instant” divorce among Muslims — is scheduled to be taken up in the Rajya Sabha in the coming week as part of the government’s business.
“Let’s discuss the bill in the House and the members can move amendments. Nobody can stop a member from moving any amendment,” Naqvi told IANS in an interview.
“But where is the sense in insisting on refering the bill to a select committee of the House? What will the Select Committee do? Even the House can scrutinise legislation,” he added.
The Select Committee may also invite suggestions from stakeholders such as various Muslim organisations and women’s bodies, which the government has apparently not done.
The opposition, Muslim bodies and women’s rights groups have accused the government of “unilaterally” drafting the legislation without seeking any opinion from the stakeholders or those who would be directly affected by the proposed law.
However, Naqvi said: “We have said it earlier too and reiterate that the government is open to suggestions on the bill from the opposition and others.”
But on the question of negotiating the penal provision — which is the main bone of contention — the minister said the bill would make no sense without this as the practice of triple talaq continues even after the Supreme Court banned it.
Under Section 4 of the bill, “Whoever pronounces talaq upon his wife by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and fine.”
It also provides for a subsistence allowance for a divorced woman and her children as determined by a magistrate and provides custody of the minor children to the woman in case of divorce.
The government had introduced the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha on January 3 this year during the winter session of Parliament. The Lok Sabha had earlier passed the bill.
Almost all the opposition parties have objected to the penal provision in the bill and had insisted it be sent to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha for closer scrutiny. Congress leader Anand Sharma and Trinamool Congress member Sukhendu Shekhar Roy had moved amendments to this effect.
Sharma even suggested the names of the 17 members of the select panel from the opposition’s side, leaving it to the government to give its names.
The government, however, vociferously objected to the proposal, citing various technical reasons. The opposition even demanded voting on the issue on the day the bill was introduced as well as the next day, January 4.
However, on the first day, the treasury benches members created a ruckus, forcing the chair to adjourn the House for the day, saying voting could not be done unless the House was in order.
The next day, the government listed the bill at the bottom of the day’s business, prompting loud protests from the opposition, which wanted it to be taken up early and a vote taken. The chair said he could not help as it was the government’s prerogative at which position to list a bill. Amid pandemonium, the House was adjourned for the day.
The winter session concluded the next day on January 5, and the triple talaq bill is still pending in the upper House.
On March 16, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel, while announcing the coming week’s business, also listed the triple talaq bill for considering and passing.
(Asim Khan can be contacted on mohd.a@ians.in )
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
New Delhi : The central government on Tuesday said it has decided to withdraw subsidy given to Muslims for the annual Haj pilgrimage.
Announcing the decision, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it was in line with the government’s agenda to empower minorities without appeasing them.
“This is part of our policy to empower minorities with dignity and without appeasement,” Naqvi told reporters here.
He said the government would utilise the funds saved from withdrawing the subsidy for education of minorities, particularly girls.
Naqvi said the subsidy amount ranged from Rs 500-700 crore, which mainly went to the national carrier Air India that flew the pilgrims to Jeddah, along with Saudi Airlines, in a 50:50 ratio.
With the government already moving ahead with privatisation of Air India, the subsidy would not make sense, he felt.
Naqvi said the withdrawal of subsidy would not make much difference in the airfare from major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata, though it would make travel costlier from smaller cities.
“But to offset this cost hike, we have for the first time given the choice to pilgrims to select their point of embarkation. So, for example, a pilgrim from Srinagar may now embark from Delhi, or a pilgrim from Gaya may embark from Kolkata etc., to avoid extra expenses,” Naqvi said.
However, the Minister said that the government would “fulfil all its responsibilities it has towards its citizens” and would make all the arrangements for the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia apart from ensuring their safety, security and comfort.
The government had drafted the policy to abolish the Haj subsidy in phased manner after the Supreme Court asked it in 2012 to withdraw it gradually by 2022.
Last year, the government had formed a committee comprising eminent Muslims headed by retired IAS Afzal Amanullah to revise India’s Haj policy. The committee had recommended abolition of Haj subsidy and allowing women above 45 years of age to proceed on Haj without “mehram” (male guardian), among other things.
The government accepted most of the recommendations made by the committee.
This year, the highest number of Indian pilgrims are likely to go for the pilgrimage after Saudi Arabia increased India’s quota by 5,000.
A total of 1.75 lakh Indian Muslims can go for Haj this year.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
New Delhi : The Indian government’s proposal to send Haj pilgrims through the sea route has got the green signal from the Saudi Arabian government, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Monday.
The discussion on reviving the sea route came up during the signing of the annual bilateral Haj agreement for 2018 between India and Saudi Arabia in the presence of Naqvi and Saudi Minister for Haj and Umrah Mohammad Saleh bin Taher in Mecca on Sunday.
Naqvi said officials from both the countries will discuss all the necessary formalities and technicalities so that Haj pilgrimage through the sea route can commence in the coming years.
“Sending pilgrims through ships will help cut down travel expenses significantly. It will be a revolutionary, pro-poor, pilgrim-friendly decision,” Naqvi said.
The ferrying of Haj pilgrims between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterway was stopped in 1995.
The Minister said that another advantage with ships available these days is they are modern and well-equipped to ferry 4,000 to 5,000 persons at a time. They can cover the 2,300-odd nautical miles one-side distance between Mumbai and Jeddah in just three to four days.
The old ships used to take 12 to 15 days to cover this distance.
Naqvi said that last year he had discussed the option to revive sea route for Haj pilgrimage with Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari.
He said that Haj 2018 has been made fully digital.
On the issue of Indian Muslim women going to Haj for the first time without mehram (male guardian), the Minister said that separate accommodation and transport has been arranged for these women.
Also, female Haj Assistants will be deployed for their help.
More than 1,300 women have applied to go for Haj without mehram and all of these women will be exempted from the lucky draw. These women would be travelling in groups of four or more women, according to the new Haj policy of India.
So far, around 3.59 lakh applications have been received for Haj 2018, against the quota of around 1.70 lakh pilgrims.
“For the first time, we have given option to Haj pilgrims to opt for another embarkation point. This will ensure that there is no financial burden on Haj pilgrims even after removal of Haj subsidy. This decision has received overwhelming response,” Naqvi said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Kolkata : Asserting that the BJP-led central government does not have any differential attitude towards any state, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday said his department has allocated more than Rs 200 crore for the development of minority inhabited areas in West Bengal over the last two years.
Naqvi was answering a question in the India Today Conclave East on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegations earlier in the day that Central ministers are more interested in the growth of BJP in Bengal than the development of the state.
“I respect Mamata Banjerjee but the claim she is making is incorrect. If I talk about my ministry, it has given more than Rs 200 crore for the development of minority inhabited areas in West Bengal. The money was allotted for the development of schools, colleges, hostels, and also for developing the drinking water and road infrastructure,” he said.
“The central government has never shown any differential attitude against anyone and will never do so in the future. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a strong commitment towards the federal structure. He is tirelessly working with that commitment,” he said.
Asked about Banerjee’s claims that the fund for two new ports in Bengal is being halted by the Central government, Naqvi said there might be some technical reasons behind it
“I do not deal with that department. But I think there might be be some technical reasons behind it. I am sure she is also aware that there are some technical issues in that regard. This government never brings electoral politics in the way of development,” he added.
—IANS
