The Haj effect: Madhya Pradesh govt for subsidy to temple in Pak

Amid the noisy debate over the subsidy given to Haj pilgrims, the Madhya Pradesh government has quietly proposed to subsidise the pilgrimage to the Hinglaj Mata temple across the border and Angkor Vat in Cambodia.

Amid the noisy debate over the subsidy given to Haj pilgrims, the Madhya Pradesh government has quietly proposed to subsidise the pilgrimage to the Hinglaj Mata temple across the border and Angkor Vat in Cambodia.

There is only one hitch: the department that deals with religious trusts and charities is keen on initiating the process but it has never heard of the famous temple in Pakistan.

“Will you please tell us where the Hinglaj Mata temple is located?’’ Deputy Secretary Prabha Chaudhary has sought to know from the district collector of Vidisha where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the announcement on August 24.

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A departmental order from the Chief Minister’s Office said: “The government proposes to subsidise pilgrimage to the Hinglaj Mata temple on the lines of 50 per cent subsidy enjoyed by pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar.”

The order asked the Department for Religious Trusts and Endowments to begin the process but did not mention Pakistan in it. The order also mentions pilgrimage to Guru Nanak Sahib ( Nankana Sahib) but the department has not sought a separate clarification thinking it’s located somewhere in India.

“The department is known for its ignorance,” said P S Anand, a member of the Madhya Pradesh Commission for Minorities. He said not a single application for subsidising pilgrimage to the Nankana Sahib shrine in Pakistan had ever been received by the government.

The department has not heard of Angkor Vat too but it will raise the pertinent question when it receives a DO to that effect, a staff member said.

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Chouhan made this announcement amid a large gathering of Sadhus who had gathered in Bhopal to take up problems faced by temples across the state.

Department sources admitted that even if they had known where the famous shrines were located, they would be in no position to oblige the applicants because they don’t have money. Even those pilgrims who visited Kailash Mansarovar are yet to get the subsidy promised long ago. The department had allocated Rs 13.50 lakh for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims.