THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, April 3: Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, stating that the bill was drafted after extensive deliberations and later referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). He emphasized that no other committee had undertaken as comprehensive a review of the Waqf issue as the JPC.
Rijiju stated that there are currently 8.72 lakh Waqf properties in the country. Citing the Sachar Committee’s 2006 estimate, which projected an annual revenue of ₹12,000 crore from 4.9 lakh Waqf properties, he said that one can imagine the earnings these properties must be generating now. Rijiju also urged the Congress party and its allies to support the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025.
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The minister referenced the findings of the earlier Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), led by senior Congress leader K. Rahman Khan, which highlighted various issues within the Waqf Board that required correction, including the need to improve its infrastructure.
The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha late last night after an extensive discussion. A total of 288 votes were cast in favor, while 232 votes were against it.
However, several members expressed concerns that they were not given adequate time to propose amendments and said that despite this, the Business Advisory Committee had decided that the bill would be taken up for discussion on Wednesday itself.
In this context, Rijiju referred to committees formed during the Congress government’s tenure and also mentioned the recommendations of the Sachar Committee in the House.
Currently, the Rajya Sabha has 236 members, requiring the support of 119 members for a majority. With 98 BJP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, the party will need the backing of its allies to secure the required numbers.
