Haj subsidy withdrawn: All you need to know about Centre’s decision

The government has withdrawn the subsidy offered for Haj from this year. The minister for minority affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, made the announcement on January 16, 2018, saying the decision is in keeping with the Modi government's stated philosophy of “empowering” minorities, not “appeasing” them. This comes four years ahead of the deadline suggested by the Supreme Court in a 2012 order that said the subsidy was best done away with. It also asked the central government to progressively reduce the subsidy amount with a view to completely abolish it by 2022.