Hajj pilgrim numbers as economic indicator for Indian Muslims

Every year more than a hundred thousand Muslims from India go for Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and mandatory for those who can afford it. During 1970s more than a thousand-year old preferred mode of travel for Indian hajis, the ships were discontinued and Air India was given the monopoly over Hajj travels from India. Government of India provided monetary help to Air India to take this yearly undertaking of moving 1 lakh pilgrims from different parts of India to Makkah and back. Millions of tawaaf (circumambulation around Kaaba) later, the situation of Indian Muslims have changed a lot. Can the hajj data provide a snapshot of changes in the economic situation of Muslims of India? Private vs Hajj Committee First thing that is noticeable is that now one quarter of Indian hajis go through private tour operators (PTOs). A hajj through Hajj Committee of India (HCI) costs either Rs 2,15,000 or Rs 1,76,000 while private tour operators will be more expensive, however, they provide better accommodation and services (Of course, complaints about both HCI and PTOs abound). While HCI is more transparent in its operations, PTOs are not able to confirm until the last minute whether one was selected for the hajj or not, giving stressful time to lot of people. Air India Subsidy Ministry of Civil Aviation provides subsidy for air travel for Hajj, which is paid directly to Air India. By the way, Muslims have never asked for this subsidy and, in fact, calls have been made to get it removed because it is clear that Hajjis are already paying higher than normal price for air ticket. Air India has complete monopoly on this operation, however, it sub-contracts some of its work to Saudi Airlines.In 2014, Hajis were charged Rs 35,000 per head. The air ticket to Jeddah from Delhi currently ranges from 20k to 30k and this year Hajis will be asked an amount of Rs 42,000 per person just for the air tickets. Air India claims that the actual cost ranged from Rs 63,750 to Rs 1,63,350 depending on the embarkation points. Last year, Air India was paid Rs 533 crore as subsidy. In 2013,it was Rs 680 crore while it was Rs 837 crore in 2012, a downward slope since the Supreme Court order in 2012 directing this subsidy be phased out in 10 years. VIP Quota As many as 500 people do Hajj every year paid by the government of India. They are nominated (or rather people who lobby to get their names approved for all-expense paid Hajj) by President, VP, Prime Minister, etc. This is a practice that started after the 1965 war with Pakistan and continues to this day. Hajj as an economic indicator Muslims’ desire for going for Hajj is not just a function of religious fervor but also an indication of their economic condition.Therefore an increase in people desirous of taking this journey can be used as an indication of increased economic prosperity of Muslims while the real economic and physical costs of the pilgrimage continues to come down. For smoother Hajj operation, Saudi Arabia allocates quota to each country. One haji is allowed per 1,000 Muslim population of the country. Hajj Committee of India uses the same formula for fixing quota for each state. But not all states are able to fill the quota, in some cases number of applications received is less than the quota assigned, in which case, the unused seats are then allocated to other states. The number of applications received for each state can tell a fascinating story of economic condition of Muslims of that state. In terms of applications received, Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat with over 50,000 applications stand out at one end of the spectrum. Uttar Pradesh, which has the largest quota in accordance with its Muslim population, comes close fourth with 41,000 applications. Gujarat which has 3,124 as quota for 2015 received 51,138 applications i.e. 16.4 times over its quota. Kerala received 12.2 times and Lakshadweep 11.7 times more applications than their assigned quota. Delhi (8.0 times), Madhya Pradesh (7.8), and Maharashtra (7.6), Uttarakhand (6.7), Tamil Nadu (6.4), and Jammu & Kashmir (6.4) are other cluster of states that stand out. At the other end of the spectrum are states that receive applications less than the quota assigned to them. No prize for guessing that these are West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam.Also, the Assam quota includes Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim. Source: TCN