All Waqf Properties in Puducherry to be Geo-tagged

The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs announced the plan to geo-tag all Waqf properties in Puducherry. The announcement was made by the vice-chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Atif Rasheed. The work of geo-tagging is expected to begin soon.

Key Points

• This decision has been taken after the Commission took cognizance of complaints of illegal occupation of Waqf properties by goons in the Union Territory.
• Now, in an attempt to keep a check on encroachments, geo-tag the Waqf properties will be done in the Union Territory.
• No Waqf Board had been instituted in Puducherry in the last 15 years.
• The Commission has also taken cognizance of this issue with the Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi and also directed the Chief Secretary to look into the possibility of setting up a Waqf Board in the UT at the earliest.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram, the Central government will extend adequate financial support for constructing infrastructure for educational and socio-economic activities on Waqf properties in the Union Territory.

Central Waqf Council

It is a statutory body set up by the Indian government in the year 1964 under the Waqf Act, 1954 (now Waqf Act, 1995). It looks after the working of State Waqf Boards in the country.

National Commission for Minorities

It is a commission set by the Indian government under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. At present 6 communities have been notified as minority communities in India namely- Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Zoroastrians (Parsis), Buddhists, and Jains.