New Delhi: The union cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval to the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, in its latest meeting. The revised bill has been approved after incorporating various amendments proposed in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report submitted to Parliament. The union government is likely to introduce the bill in its revised form for passage in the upcoming second part of Parliament’s budget session.
While all amendments suggested by opposition MPs were defeated, those proposed by lawmakers from the ruling BJP and other National Democratic Alliance members have been accepted. A waqf is a charitable or religious donation made by Muslims for the benefit of the community. Such properties cannot be sold or used for any other purpose, implying that they belong to God. A vast number of these properties are used for mosques, madrassas, graveyards, and orphanages.
According to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the objective of the bill is to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing waqf properties. The ruling government has decided to rename the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 with the proposed name, Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Bill.
