Aviation ministry to organise travel for Haj pilgrims

Those going on  a pilgrim will be carried from 21 embarkation points through charted flights.
Bhopal and Goa have been added as new embarkation points this year.

Cost

Each pilgrim going on Haj through Haj Committee of India will pay Rs 16,000 (plus airport charges) as air fare and the balance air fare (cost of operations) will be borne by the government, a statement issued after the Cabinet meet said.

A total of 1, 25,000 pilgrims out of 1, 70,000 will go through Haj Committee of India.

Airlines

This year most of the pilgrims will be carried by  Saudi Arabian Airlines, National Private Air Services Company Limited and Al-Wafeer Air which have been selected through a sealed tender process.

Air India will coordinate the operations and provide support on cost basis.  The Union Cabinet which met on Thursday also approved withdrawal of labour laws (exemptions from furnishing returns and maintaining registers by certain establishments)  amendments and miscellaneous provisions bill, 2005 which will benefit establishments employing upto 14 workers in maintaining registers and submitting returns electronically under 16 labour laws.

 The Cabinet also approved introduction of  the multi-state cooperative societies (amendment) bill , 2010,in the Parliament  which intends to enhance public faith in the cooperatives.