New law to save Wakf lands soon

 

Disclosing this information here on Monday, Union minority affairs minister Najma Heptulla said that the pending Bill has also been cleared by the Select Committee. She said the Centre did not receive any proposal from Telangana government to incre-ase the reservation for minorities from the present four per cent to 12 per cent. She, however, said that the Centre would look into the issue when it receives proposals.

 

The new Wakf Bill provides for the eviction of unauthorised occupants from Wakf properties through faster mechanism. “Our government is determined to protect and develop six lakh acres of Wakf land and other properties in the country based on the Sachar Committee report. If we take up development, property will fetch an annual income of '12,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore which could be used for development of minorities,” she explained.

 

She said that the UPA, which claimed to be secular provided Rs 1,500 crore corpus fund for minorities, while the Modi government doubled it to Rs 3,000 crore. To a question, she said the Muslim Pers-onal Law board does its job while the government would do its job.