Bengaluru, Nov 26: The number of Hajj aspirants from Karnataka has drastically declined this year as the State Haj Committee so far received less than 6,000 aplifications, below the State’s quota for Hajj (which is 6,624 based on the 2011 Census).
It appears that for the first time in at least 10 years, the number of applications for Hajj 2019 may not cross 15,000.
With the Karnataka and a few other State Haj committees requesting the Hajj Committee of India to extend the deadline to submit applications, the last date has now been set as December 12. The old deadline was November 17.
According to the Hajj committee, there has been a declining trend in the number of pilgrims from the last few years.
“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,” said, Syed Ajaz Ahmed, nodal officer, Bengaluru, State Hajj committee.
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 Makkah.
The Union government scrapped the subsidy for the Hajj pilgrimage last year. For a person travelling from Karnataka, the subsidy was Rs 1,400. “This is negligible in terms of the total cost of travel per person which is roughly around Rs 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.
The kidnapped schoolboy was rescued by the police and reunited with his parents. Son of a gift shop owner from Basavanagudi area in Bengaluru, Chirag has reportedly told police that decided to make some quick money to spend on cricket betting and gambling after learning kidnap tricks from the ‘Crime Patrol’. According to police, Chirag reached a private school around 3pm on Tuesday on a Bounce rental bike and zeroed in on a fourth standard student who was walking out of school. He told the boy he was his father's friend and that he required help to search for a relative who had gone missing. The boy believed Chirag and rode pillion on the bike. Chirag then engaged the boy in conversation and learnt about his father's business and got his mobile phone number. He then made a call to the boy's father, demanded Rs 5 lakh and warned him against approaching cops. However, the boy's father alerted Cottonpet police and special teams were formed to crack the case. While Cottonpet inspector Venkatesh TC's squad verified CCTV footage in and around the school, Chamarajpet inspector BG Kumaraswamy's team started tracking the suspect's mobile phone movements. An hour later, the suspect's location was traced to a hotel on the Lavelle Road-St Mark's Road stretch. Police rushed there, rescued the boy and arrested Chirag.
Comments
hajj is not enjoy trip to travel.. it is a obligatory right to every muslim , whenever he finds capable to it... those who are capable this year surely they will leave this year itself , and others may wait for their capability....
World's fastest growing religion is Islam. But now Islam not consisting true believers (not all)
Why that discrimination?
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