Karnataka Haj pilgrims declining

For the first time in at least 10 years, the number of applications, received by the Karnataka State Haj Committee from across the State, for the pilgrimage may not cross 15,000. According to the committee, the numbers have been unusually low this year. As of November 17 — the old deadline — less than 6,000 people had applied and this is below the State’s quota for Haj, which is 6,624 based on the 2011 Census. With the Karnataka and a few other State Haj committees requesting the Haj Committee of India to extend the deadline to submit applications, the last date has now been set as December 12. According to the Haj committee, there has been a declining trend in the number of pilgrims from the last few years. Syed Ajaz Ahmed, nodal officer, Bengaluru, State Haj committee, said, “Though every year the deadline is extended and most submit applications in the extension period, this time around, the number of applications received within the first deadline has been way below the mark.” The decline started in 2016 when there were 25,000 applications. In 2017, the number of applicants dropped to 23,000 and the following year, it was as low as 18,000. “This time we are expecting it to be below 15,000,” he said. Following the submission of applications, an online lottery will be conducted to select 6,624 pilgrims for the journey to Mecca. ‘Demonetisation impact’ The Union government scrapped the subsidy for the Haj pilgrimage last year. For a person travelling from Karnataka, the subsidy was ₹1,400. “This is negligible in terms of the total cost of travel per person which is roughly around ₹2 lakh. The scrapping of the subsidy has no affect on the numbers,” he said. The committee blames this downward trend on GST and demonetisation. “While the salaried class is not as affected, many from the business community don’t have enough money to travel. We think this is the main reason for the fall in numbers,” Mr. Ahmed said. Another reason, he said, could be that applications were invited earlier this year. “Usually, applications are called for in December and January. This year the process started in October itself. That could have contributed to the lower number of applications,” he added. Source: The Hindu