The Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 held meetings with the principal secretaries and revenue secretaries of the Department of minority affairs of Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. During the meeting on Thursday, the committee tried to know about the registered and unregistered properties and the status of the Waqf properties in these states. Talking to media after the meeting, Chairperson of the committee Jagadambika Pal said that the panel will call other organizations and state government officials and will go on tours to West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. He also said that the committee has conducted around 20 tours including Kolkata, Patna and Lucknow and the members also intend to visit Jammu and Kashmir to hold discussions with the stakeholders.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to bring significant reforms, including digitisation of records, stricter audits, increased transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied Waqf properties. The Bill is aimed at reforming the management and regulation of Waqf properties across the country.
