Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Bill to hold discussion in Guwahati today

Jagdambika Pal, Chairman of JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 will chair the meeting and discussions. Other members of the JPC Aparajita Sarangi, Dilip Saikia, Brij Lal, Gulam Ali, DK Aruna will be present in the meeting.

The Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is conducting a study tour from November 9 to November 14 in five cities: Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow to examine the bill. The committee plans to present its report on the bill to the House by the end of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament, which runs from November 25 to December 20.

Notably, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 has conducted 25 meetings since its first session on August 22.

"I held the first meeting on August 22. Since then, 25 meetings have been conducted. During these meetings, we examined six ministries and engaged with 37 stakeholders, including Islamic and minority organisations. Approximately 123 stakeholders have appeared before the committee. Among them were three MPs, three MLAs, MLCs, and a Minister of State from Gujarat. Additionally, representatives from six states, eight Waqf Boards, and four Minority Commissions have appeared," Pal explained.

The Waqf Act, 1995, was originally established to regulate Waqf properties, but it has long faced criticism over issues of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha this August, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.

The JPC is conducting a series of meetings to gather input from government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members, and community representatives from various states and Union Territories, aiming to achieve comprehensive reform. (ANI)