At meeting on proposed changes to 1995 Waqf Act, Islamic outfits raised objections & called for scrapping of Bill. Oppn MPs said govt mustn’t interfere in religious matters.
Bill proposes to protect govt properties from being declared waqf, empowers DMs to survey waqf land & play arbiter in disputes, while also limiting powers of waqf tribunals.
Waqf boards are struggling to maintain control of their vast properties with mounting legal battles, a losing perception war, internal chaos, and political heat.
Waqf boards are the third largest landowners in India, after Armed Forces and Railways. But India's Muslim community is still struggling for basic needs.
The last time this matter flared up was when Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in a very similar directive in April, called for the relocation of stray dogs in the capital.
Finance ministry says the proposed revamp will focus on structural reforms, rate rationalisation & ease of living, & will be deliberated upon in the coming weeks.
The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.
Now that both IAF and PAF have made formal claims of having shot down the other’s aircraft in the 87-hour war in May, we can ask a larger question: do such numbers really matter?
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