Govt may ask Haj pilgrims to pay Rs 4k more for airfare

New Delhi: Haj pilgrims may have to shell out more for their airfare to-and-from Mecca as the government has proposed to increase their share of the ticket price by Rs 4,000 to reduce its subsidy burden. "The government has proposed to increase the pilgrim's share of the fare by Rs 4,000 each year to Rs 16,000 to reduce the subsidy burden," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "At present, pilgrims performing Haj through the Haj Committee of India have been paying Rs 12,000 as to-and-fro fare since 1994," he said, adding that the additional travel cost is borne by the government. Responding to a query on whether private airlines can be asked to share the cost of subsidy, Patel said, "The airlines can not be asked to share the cost of subsidy as part of their corporate social responsibility."
19/08/10 PTI/IBN Live

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Categories: NACIL Aug 2010