New Delhi: The Government subsidises the Haj pilgrimage for one lakh poor Muslims each year. A lottery system decides who gets to go, but a Cobrapost and IBN 7 special investigation caught leaders of Haj committees accepting bribes and manipulating selections.
India could perhaps learn from the Malaysian example. Malaysia has created an institution called the Tabung Haji which is the country's Pilgrim Management and Funds Board.
The board was started in 1963 to prevent the exploitation of pilgrims by middlemen.
Beginning with 1,281 depositors, Tabung Haji now has over 1 million savers whose deposits amount to $500 million. These deposits are insured by the government of Malaysia.
Tabung Haji has invested funds in plantation, industry and the commercial sector. Deposit and withdrawal procedures are simple and Malaysian pilgrims can withdraw the money even in the holy land during the Haj.
With the corruption in the Haj committees in India, the Government needs to perhaps look into creating a system that is modeled on Malaysia.
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