The process to establish Waqf Boards in Jammu & Kashmir and Leh-Kargil region has recently been initiated, making headlines in the regional news. This step forms a part of the larger aim to register, digitise, and enable the geo-tagging or GPS mapping of Waqf properties spread across these regions.
Key Initiatives for Waqf Properties
There are thousands of Waqf properties in the Jammu-Kashmir and Leh-Kargil region. The process has been commenced to register all of these properties. This is supplemented by initiatives to digitise these records and implement Geo-tagging or GPS mapping of the properties for enhanced tracking and maintenance.
Funding under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)
The Central Government will render substantial financial aid for building infrastructure that caters to socio-economic and educational activities on Waqf properties in Jammu-Kashmir and Leh-Kargil. The funding will be channeled through the “Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram” (PMJVK). The PMJVK aims to provide improved socio-economic infrastructure amenities to minority communities, particularly in terms of education, health, and skill development. This will eventually contribute to lessening the disparity between the national average and minority communities regarding backwardness parameters.
The Revamping of Multi-sectoral Development Programme
The erstwhile Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) has undergone restructuring and renaming as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram for better and effective implementation since 2018.
About Central Waqf Council
Central Waqf Council is an advisory body to the Central Government on matters concerning the workings of the Waqf Boards and the rightful administration of Auqaf. Established in 1964 under the provisions of the Waqf Act, 1954, this statutory body functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. ‘Auqaf’, an Arabic term, denotes ‘assets’.
Composition of Central Waqf Council
The Council comprises a Chairperson who is also the Union Minister Incharge of Waqf and a maximum of 20 members appointed by the Government of India. Each state has a Waqf Board with a chairperson at its helm and includes one or two nominees from the state government, Muslim legislators and parliamentarians, Muslim members of the state Bar Council, recognized scholars of Islamic theology, and mutawalis.
