Date: 17/01/2017
5) EFFECTS OF MUSLIM POLYGAMOUS PRACTICES ON INDIAN ECONOMY EMPLOYMENT LAND SPACE N INDIAN SECURITY
The Union Ministry for Minority Affairs has set-up a six-member committee comprising experts to look into the efficacy and viablity of the haj subsidy given to Muslim haj pilgrims in the form of discounted air fares on Air India. The ministry has clarified that the setting up of this committee does not mean that the government has any plan to scrap the subsidy. The ministry sources affirmed that the intention was to make an assessment and approach the subject accordingly.
The Haj Subsidy issue has been a matter of debate for long and was dwelt upon by even the Congress-led UPA.
Now, the BJP-led NDA too is looking into the subsidy's viability and how it may be rationalized.
Back in 2012, the Supreme Court had directed the Government to end the practice. Interestingly , the subsidy is in focus at a time when Saudi Arabia has increased India's annual haj quota by 34,500 to take it to around 1.70 lakh.
Junior minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the decision was taken during signing of the annual haj agreement. "It is the biggest increase after 1988 in the quota of haj pilgrims from India.About 99,903 people went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for haj from 21 embarkation points across India through Haj Committee of India during 2016. Apart from this, about 36,000 haj pilgrims had proceeded for haj through private tour operators," Naqvi said.
The subsidy includes an airfare subsidy as well as assistance to pilgrims for domestic travel to reach specially designed Haj Departure Airport Terminal
Narendra Modi Government releases religious census, Muslim population rises 24 pct in India
Muslim population in India has grown by 24 per cent between 2001 and 2011 against national average of 18 per cent...
According to Narendra Modi govt religious census among the Union Territories, Lakshadweep has the highest Muslim population — 96.2 per cent. (PTI)
The PM Narendra Modi-led government has released in the public domain a religion-based census, which reveals that Muslim population in India has grown by 24 per cent between 2001 and 2011 against national average of 18 per cent with the community’s representation rising to 14.2 per cent from 13.4 percent of total population.
The last time religion-based data was released in the country was in 2004, which was a record of figures till 2001.
Among all states in the country, Jammu and Kashmir has the highest Muslim population (68.3 per cent), followed by Assam (34.2 per cent) and West Bengal (27 per cent), according to the census data on the population of religious groups.
The growth rate of Muslim population in India was around 29 per cent between 1991 and 2001. At 24 per cent, the growth rate of Muslim population is higher than the national average of 18 per cent for the decade (2001-11).
The most rapid rise in the share of Muslims in the total population was witnessed in Assam. Muslims constituted 30.9 per cent of the state’s population in 2001 and it has risen to 34.2 per cent a decade later. Assam has been facing the problem of illegal immigration from Bangladeshi for last three decades.
A Home Ministry spokesperson said the data is still being compiled by the Registrar General of Census and will be released officially shortly.
Manipur is the only state where the percentage of their population has decreased — from 8.8 per cent to 8.4 per cent.
West Bengal, another state where illegal immigration from Bangladesh has been an issue, has also seen a rise in Muslim population from 25.2 per cent in 2001 to 27 per cent in 2011. It is a growth of 1.8 percentage points, more that double the national average for Muslim population (.8 per cent).
Uttarakhand has also seen rise in the share of Muslim population from 11.9 per cent to 13.9 per cent, a growth of 2 percentage points, between 2001 and 2011.
Other states with a significant rise in the share of Muslims in the total population as per the 2011 census were Kerala (from 24.7 per cent to 26.6 per cent), Goa (6.8 per cent to 8.4 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (67 per cent to 68.3 per cent), Haryana (5.8 per cent to 7 per cent) and Delhi (11.7 per cent to 12.9 per cent).
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, under the Home Ministry, had compiled the data by March 2014, but the previous UPA government held back the release.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday said the data could be released soon.
Among the Union Territories, Lakshadweep has the highest Muslim population — 96.2 per cent.
Such statistics, experts said, is released within three years of data collection and being 2015, that time-limit has already been exceeded.
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