First meeting of Parliament’s joint committee on Waqf Bill on August 22
The bill is the first major initiative of the BJP-led NDA government aimed at reforming the registration process for waqf properties through a centralised portal. (Photo: PTI)
The first meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill will be held next week.
The committee, chaired by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, will meet representatives of the ministries of Minority Affairs and Law and Justice on August 22, a release from the Lok Sabha secretariat said.
It is expected that representatives from the Ministry of Minority Affairs will also brief the committee on the “proposed amendments to the bill,” the secretariat said.
The bill is the first major initiative of the BJP-led NDA government aimed at reforming the registration process for waqf properties through a central portal.
Several reforms are proposed, including the establishment of a Central Waqf Board alongside the state Waqf Boards, with representation from both Muslim and non-Muslim women.
A controversial provision in the bill is the proposal to designate the district collector as the primary authority to determine whether a plot is classified as waqf or government land.
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 and after a heated debate was referred to a joint committee of Parliament. The government said the proposed law was not intended to disrupt the functioning of mosques, while the opposition called it an attack on Muslims and an assault on the Constitution.
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First publication: Aug 17, 2024 | 11:15 PM IST