Members of India's Muslim community have welcomed the government’s decision to scrap a “VIP quota” for Hajj, saying this will help open up spots for more pilgrims.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that every able-bodied Muslims must perform at least once in their life, if they have the means. The pilgrimage to Makkah has historically been one of the world's largest religious gatherings.
About 500 seats were previously allocated by India's Hajj Committee to people in top constitutional posts each Hajj season, including the president, prime minister and ministers.
The Hajj Committee of India itself had a quota of 200 seats.
Indian Federal Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said that the government had decided to scrap the discretionary quota in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “resolve to end VIP culture” in the country.
“VIP culture was put in place with respect to Hajj during the [United Progressive Alliance] rule, under which there was a special quota allocated to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Hajj Committee and all those in top constitutional posts,” Ms Irani said.
She said that the government had formulated a new Hajj policy that would be announced soon.
Indian Muslims said scrapping the quota would give opportunities to more people to obtain seats.
Noil Khan, a school administrator described the announcement as "wonderful news".
"We just returned from Umrah and, although we got the spots easily, we can’t say the same for Hajj," he said.
"This also made no sense to give a special treatment to VIPs.”.
Syed Ahmed, a Delhi resident said it was a welcome step.
“Over the years, the population of Indian Muslims has grown, and they have become stronger financially, which has created greater demand for Hajj spots,” he told The National.
“Although the numbers are not huge it will still open up some spots for common people which is a welcome step.”
India has been plagued by a VIP culture for decades, which allowed certain people unbridled privileges due to their political, social or financial status.
The country has more than 200 million Muslims and every year, at least 150,000 from the country embark on the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
The Indian consulate in Jeddah on Monday said the governments of the two countries had signed an agreement that will enable more than 175,000 Indian Muslims to perform Hajj.
Each year, the Saudi government allocates country quotas to cap the number of pilgrims and provide them safe services.
Traditionally, these quotas allocated to India were distributed among the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Hajj Committee of India, which holds 70 per cent of the total quota, while the remaining 30 per cent is given to private operators.
The committee used a draw system to select pilgrims.
VIP places were reduced from 5,000 to 500 in 2011 after the country’s top court called it a “bad religious practice”.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
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Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
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Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
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Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
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Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
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Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
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Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
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