UP GOVT MAY LINK HAJ APPLICATIONS WITH AADHAAR

LUCKNOW: The Aditya Nath ‘Yogi’ government in Uttar Pradesh plans to link the Haj applications with the Aadhaar numbers of the applicants to usher in transparency in the selection of pilgrims. The entire process is likely to be made online. These steps are likely to help in identifying those who have availed government subsidy for the pilgrimage more than once. The government wants to bring in greater transparency. It aims to send more and more economically weaker people on Haj,” minister of state for Haj Mohsin Raza told HT.

The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to link the Haj application process with the Aadhaar number of the applicant to ensure “greater transparency” in selection of pilgrims.

Officials believe this will help identify those who have undertaken the pilgrimage more than once. “We are planning to link the process of filing of the Haj application with the Aadhaar number of the applicant, so as to check whether the applicant had undertaken Haj earlier or not. This will ensure greater transparency,” Mohsin Raza, minister of state for minority affairs in the UP government, said. “The process is about to start, and soon, some concrete mechanism will be put in place,” he said.

“We will bring transparency and honesty to the system under our government. It should not be like I allow only my family and relatives to avail the benefits,” the minister added.

BJP leader Mazhar Abbas, meanwhile, said: “If linking Aadhaar with the Haj application process could ensure transparency, then it must be incorporate into the current system.”

On Saturday, Raza made an appeal to “rich Muslims” of UP to consider giving up Haj subsidy so that the poor and deserving could get an opportunity to perform Haj. “The poor must get subsidy for Haj pilgrimage, and not the affluent ones. I appeal to the rich Muslims to give up their Haj subsidy,” Raza said.