The Modi government at the center is now preparing to reduce the powers of the Waqf Board. Actually, the central government is going to make major amendments in the Waqf Act in this Parliament session. Let us tell you, the proposal for 40 amendments in the Waqf Act has already been approved in the cabinet meeting. Let us tell you in detail about the properties of the Waqf Board today.
What is Waqf Board after all?
Waqf means ‘in the name of Allah’. In Islam, it means properties that are dedicated to religious or charitable purposes. Most of the properties owned by Waqf are donated by people who believe in Islam. The Waqf Board takes care of the maintenance of such properties. There are two Waqf Boards in India, Sunni Waqf Board and Shia Waqf Board. If reports are to be believed, the Waqf Board of India has more property than any other Waqf Board of any other country.
Let us tell you, the Waqf Board Act was made for the first time in India in the year 1954. But later it was repealed. After this, the Central Waqf Council was formed in the year 1964. At that time this council was under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
When did the powers of the Wakf Board increase
The powers of the Waqf Board were first increased in the year 1995. Actually, when the Babri demolition happened in 1991, the atmosphere of the country became bad. At that time, PV Narasimha Rao’s government was in power at the center. To give a better message to the Muslims, he made changes in the Waqf Board Act and gave it unlimited rights to acquire land.
After this, the powers of the Wakf Board increased in the year 2013. In 2013, when the UPA government was in power at the centre, the Wakf Board Act was amended and it was given the right to claim properties in the name of Muslim donations. According to the law today, if a property is once declared in the name of the Wakf Board, it will remain so forever.
How much property does the Waqf Board have
In the year 2022, the then Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had told in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that how much property the Waqf Board has in the country. According to this answer, the Waqf Board has a total of 7 lakh 85 thousand 934 properties in the country. On the other hand, if we talk about the maximum property, it is in UP. The Waqf Board in Uttar Pradesh has a total of 2 lakh 14 thousand 707 properties. Out of these properties, 1 lakh 99 thousand 701 are with the Sunni Waqf Board and 15006 are with the Shia Waqf Board. After this, Bengal is at second place. The Waqf Board has 80 thousand 480 properties in West Bengal.
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