Latest news with #UMEED
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Waqf Board, mutawallis in dilemma over new waqf portal
The Telangana State Waqf Board (TGSWB) is awaiting instructions from the State government on how to proceed with the Urban Monitoring for Efficient and Effective Decision-making (UMEED) portal with mutawallis in a dilemma about registering on the site. According to the Union government, the portal is intended to bring about transparency in administration and would also benefit Muslim women. Waqf properties will be geo-tagged and various e-governance tools will be integrated into the system. Mutawallis are expected to upload details and documents pertaining to waqf institutions and properties. However, sources indicated that only three registrations have taken place so far. 'It is as if both we and the mutawallis are in a dilemma over UMEED,' a senior officer at the TGSWB said. 'The portal was launched on June 6. There are six months for all data to be uploaded. Over a month has passed. We have written to the State government seeking instructions on how to proceed. A response, and clarity, are awaited.' To illustrate the scale of the task, the official pointed out that, according to the First Waqf Survey, Telangana has 33,929 waqf institutions. 'The portal requires personal details, institutional data such as extent of land, encroachments if any, and the number of court cases, among other things,' he said. The portal also includes a project monitoring unit (PMU). This is likely to consist of a State government officer, a civil servant, who will oversee the uploading and updating of documents. An official connected to the district collectorate, and a representative from the State Waqf Board, most likely the Chief Executive Officer, will also be part of this unit. Meanwhile, Syed Bandagi Badesha Quadri, a member of the TGSWB, expressed hope that the Telangana government would follow the example of Tamil Nadu. Its Legislative Assembly passed a resolution urging the Union government to withdraw the legislation when it was still a Bill. He also referred to West Bengal, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly stated that the legislation would not be implemented. 'We are hopeful that the Telangana government will not implement the Act. As far as the Supreme Court developments go, the contentions are over waqf-by-user, the inclusion of non-Muslim members in waqf boards and the law of limitation regarding waqf properties. As for the portal, the Board has the required documents. It can help mutawallis access documents by coordinating with other State government departments and agencies. These include the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration, survey offices, and the Survey Settlements, Land Records, Settlements and Jagir Administration office, which can help mutawallis access necessary records,' Mr. Quadri said. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board opposed the portal and appealed to Muslims and waqf boards not to register properties on it till the apex court delivers its judgement. Speaking to The Hindu, AIMPLB member and spokesperson S.Q.R. Ilyas said, 'We have already prepared a petition seeking to challenge the portal. However, we are awaiting the interim order from the court after which we will seek to tag the petition.'
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Govt notifies rules to implement Waqf Act
The Union government on Friday notified the rules that will operationalise the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, focussing largely on the functioning of the central portal where Islamic charitable endowments will be registered and leaving some finer details to the states. Muslims attend the 'Waqf Bachao - Dastur Bachao' conference at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Bihar. (Santosh Kumar/HT photo) The 32-page document issued by the Union ministry of minority affairs is now set to be laid before Parliament during the upcoming monsoon session commencing July 21. HT first reported on June 20 that the rules would be published within 15 days. If Parliament makes any changes, the rules will be published in the gazette again, said a senior ministry official. 'The act in itself was quite elaborate so the rules have been kept short and to the point, mostly centering around the portal itself. Now the ministry's work is done and the rules will be laid in the upcoming Parliament session. The states have the biggest task now which is to make their own rules under the act,' said a senior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The rules were framed under Section 108B, which was inserted into the 1995 Waqf Act by the amendments passed earlier this year and which allowed the Centre to make rules for waqf asset management system, registration, accounts, audit and other details of waqf, and the manner of payments for maintenance of widow, divorced woman and orphans. The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Rules, 2025 primarily operationalised the national UMEED portal launched last month, establishing a centralised digital database for Waqf properties supervised by the joint secretary of the ministry's waqf division. Key portal functions included filing detailed Waqf records, registering new Waqfs, maintaining electronic registers, submitting annual accounts, and auto-generating unique IDs for each Waqf and property. The rules establish a six-month deadline for uploading all existing Waqf properties onto the portal. State governments must publish surveyed lists of auqaf (plural of waqf) and upload them within 90 days of the rules' gazette publication, with possible 90-day extensions requiring stated reasons. 'Every mutawalli [custodian] shall enrol on the portal and database by using his mobile number and e-mail address through authentication by one time password received from the portal and database on the mobile and e-mail and thereafter be able to access the portal and database and file details of his waqf and property dedicated to the waqf,' the rules said. One of the most important provisions detailed in the new rules is about the registration of a new waqf. 'A waqf created after the commencement of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 shall make an application to the board for its registration under section 36 of the act within three months of its creation,' the rules said. The board, in this case, is the Central Waqf Board. The application for registration will have to be made on the portal and needs a description of the property, a copy of waqf deed, gross annual income, amount of land revenue, cesses, rates and taxes annually payable, estimate of the expenses, amount set aside for mutawalli, maintenance for widows, divorced women and orphans,and whether the property stood on protected or government land, among others. 'The collector shall inquire the genuineness and validity of the application and the particulars mentioned therein in accordance with the revenue laws…the collector shall submit the report to the board within a period of sixty days,' the rules said. This practically invalidates verbal waqf declarations, an age-old and controversial practice. It also effectively scraps the waqf-by-user provision – where a property is acknowledged as waqf because it has been used for religious activities for some time, despite there being no official declaration or registration as waqf – with prospective effect. The rules permit widows, divorced women, and orphans to apply for maintenance from dormant family waqfs (waqf-alal-aulad), requiring identity and residence proofs with payments made electronically. Waqf Boards must maintain electronic registers, publish audit reports online, and disclose board orders within 10 working days. Mutawallis must submit annual accounts electronically by October 1 each year, with the annual contribution to waqf boards capped at one crore rupees. An independent central agency will review the portal annually, and state governments must appoint nodal officers at the joint secretary level. 'On filing of the details of waqf and properties thereof by the mutawalli on the portal and database, the chief executive officer or any other officer duly authorised in writing by the board shall…certify the correctness of the information and particulars…within ten days,' the rules said. A waqf is a Muslim religious endowment, usually in the form of landed property, made for purposes of charity and community welfare. The contentious amendments to the central waqf law, which aims to make sweeping changes in the regulation and management of Islamic charitable endowments, was cleared by Parliament in April. The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on a raft of petitions asking for a stay on some of the law's controversial provisions. Activists, opposition parties and bodies such as the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) challenged key provisions of the new law. The law accords more power to the government and allows for the appointment of non-Muslims and women to waqf boards, but the Opposition alleged it is unconstitutional. The rules mark a major landmark in operationalising the controversial law. But some experts raised concerns that the rules were silent on some of the more controversial provisions of the law – such as permitting women, Shia sects and government officials to be members of waqf bodies or allowing only a person 'showing or demonstrating that he is practising Islam for at least five years' to donate properties to waqf. They also said the conduct of the officials regulating or overseeing the registration process was undefined. Senior Advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, who appeared before the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf, pointed out gaps. Ayyubi expressed disappointment that the rules failed to define the qualifications, jurisdiction, or operational procedures for the 'designated officer' envisaged under the rules: 'I was expecting that they would indicate the qualifications or jurisdiction or area of the designated officers... how he will operate or something on that aspect. So that's something which is not there.' He also underlined that the rules were silent on how someone can fulfil the 'practising Muslim' clause. 'If there is any problem, then they can approach the court, but then everyone will start approaching the court because nothing is clear.'
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Digital drive: Telangana Waqf Board to train 15,000 muthawalis for handling property documents online on UMEED Portal
HYDERABAD: With the Centre rolling out portal Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) to streamline waqf properties across the country, Telangana Waqf Board has decided to train 15,000 muthawalis, who are custodians and caretakers of waqf properties in the state. The muthawalis will have to upload documents related to waqf properties and also register themselves on the portal. The waqf board has decided to train them as majority of the muthawalis do not even have basic knowledge of computers. The muthawalis have to upload details of about 33,000 properties and 77,000 acres of land in the state. "There is a three-tier system for entry of waqf properties. Once the muthawali (maker) enters the details, waqf board officials (inspectors or verifiers) check the details, whether all the relevant information is provided or not. The chief executive officer (CEO) (approver)will then approve the details uploaded by the muthawalis," Telangana Waqf Board CEO Md Asadullah told TOI. The problem is a majority of the muthawalis are aged above 50 and no well versed with computers. In such a scenario, the board would permit their immediate family members to help them by taking an undertaking. The officials said 'master trainers' were trained by the representatives of the Union minority affairs ministry. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The master trainers would coach the district-level waqf inspectors and auditors. The inspectors would, in turn, teach muthawalis in the third phase, which is likely to begin next month. Officials said the digital platform UMEED has real-time uploading facilities and ensures transparency and accountability for the waqf properties. "It has features such as geo-tagging of all waqf properties, an online grievance redressal system for better responsiveness, transparent leasing and usage tracking, integration with GIS mapping and other e-Governance tools, and public access to verified records and reports," a senior official said. Officials hope the new digital platform would end illegal leasing and encroachment of waqf properties in the state.
Hans India
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Union Secretary reviews UMEED portal's implementation in Maharashtra
Ahead of the roll out of rules for the Waqf portal, Union Minority Affairs Secretary Chandra Shekhar Kumar held a review meeting with Maharashtra officials for smooth uploading of details related to properties on UMEED, an official said on Sunday. Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED) Central Portal, launched on June 6, needs the rules to support the statutory requirements. During the meeting on Saturday, the Secretary encouraged proactive participation and invited suggestions from state authorities to streamline the implementation process. As per the mandate of the UMEED Portal, details of all registered Waqf properties across India are to be mandatorily uploaded within six months. Those present in the meeting, chaired by the Union Secretary, included the state secretary, senior officials, and the CEO of the Maharashtra State Waqf Board. This was the Union Secretary's second such visit following a similar review in Bihar last week. Secretary Chandra Shekhar Kumar encouraged proactive participation and invited suggestions from state authorities to streamline the implementation process, said an official statement. The CEO of the Waqf Board requested the Centre to revisit and ease certain leasing provisions related to Waqf properties. The Union Secretary assured that the request will be examined sympathetically, reaffirming the Centre's commitment to empowering Waqf Boards and enhancing Waqf property management. Apart from reviewing UMEED implementation, the Secretary also assessed the status of projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) in Maharashtra. He directed the state officials to submit all pending proposals to the Ministry within one week for necessary action. Kumar also held a meeting with officials of the Haj Committee of India (HCoI) in Mumbai, congratulating them on the smooth and successful conduct of Haj 2025. He expressed satisfaction that this year recorded the lowest number of deaths and health-related incidents among Indian Haj pilgrims. He attributed this achievement to improved coordination between the Ministry, the Haj Committee of India, deputationists, Saudi Arabian authorities, and local support systems. The Secretary specially acknowledged the effectiveness of the Haj Suvidha App, which played a crucial role in enhancing the pilgrim experience and easing on-ground challenges. He said that insights from this year's Haj operations will be used to further improve arrangements for Haj 2026.
The Hindu
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Engaging with States to ensure effective implementation of UMEED portal for Waqf properties: Minority Affairs Ministry
The Minority Affairs Ministry on Sunday (June 22, 2025) said it has been actively engaging with States and Union Territories to ensure effective implementation of the UMEED portal, stressing that details of all registered Waqf properties across India are to be mandatorily uploaded on this platform within six months. In line with this effort, the Ministry said, Minority Affairs Secretary Chandra Shekhar Kumar visited Mumbai on June 21 to hold a comprehensive review meeting with the State Secretary, senior officials and Maharashtra State Waqf Board CEO. This marks his second such visit following a similar review in Bihar last week, it said. During the meeting, Mr. Kumar apprised the officials of the rules to be rolled out shortly to support the statutory requirements of the portal, the statement said. He encouraged proactive participation and invited suggestions from state authorities to streamline the implementation process, it said. The CEO of the Waqf Board requested the Centre to revisit and ease certain leasing provisions related to Waqf properties. Mr. Kumar assured that the request will be examined sympathetically, reaffirming the Centre's commitment to empowering Waqf Boards and enhancing Waqf property management, the statement said. Apart from reviewing UMEED implementation, the Secretary also assessed the status of projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) in Maharashtra. He directed the State officials to submit all pending proposals to the Ministry within one week for necessary action. Mr. Kumar also held a meeting with officials of the Haj Committee of India (HCoI) in Mumbai, congratulating them on the smooth and successful conduct of Haj 2025. He noted with satisfaction that this year recorded the lowest number of deaths and health-related incidents among Indian Haj pilgrims. Mr. Kumar attributed this achievement to improved coordination between the Ministry, Haj Committee of India, deputationists, Saudi authorities and local support systems. The Secretary especially acknowledged the effectiveness of the Haj Suvidha App, which played a crucial role in enhancing pilgrim experience and easing on-ground challenges. He affirmed that insights from this year's Haj operations will be used to further improve arrangements for Haj 2026. The Ministry of Minority Affairs remains committed to ensuring efficient administration of Waqf properties and a dignified pilgrimage experience for all Hajis through digital empowerment and responsive governance, the statement said. Following the launch of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED) Central Portal on June 6, 2025, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has been actively engaging with states and union territories to ensure the effective implementation of this statutory platform, it said. As per the mandate of the UMEED portal, details of all registered Waqf properties across India are to be mandatorily uploaded within six months. The government launched the portal on June 6 to create a digital inventory after geo-tagging all Waqf properties, with Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju calling it a historic step that would ensure that community-owned Waqf assets are utilised effectively and fairly for poor Muslims. The UMEED portal will serve as a centralised digital platform for real-time uploading, verification, and monitoring of Waqf properties.
