Quami Waqf Boards Taraqqiati Scheme

March 2, 2022

Union Ministry of Minority Affairs’ have revised the deadline for long-delayed project to geotag all Waqf properties across India, from March 2022 to November 2023.

Key Facts

This project was started in 2017 under the ‘Quami Waqf Boards Taraqqiati Scheme’. Central Waqf Council, New Delhi is the Nodal Agency for implementation of this Scheme.
This scheme was envisaged based on recommendations of Parliamentary Standing Committee in the past.
Under the scheme, government wanted to map the immovable assets under Waqf boards, in order to ensure its proper utilisation and monetisation.
This move also aims to ensure that these properties are not lost to encroachments and other counter ownership claims.

Waqf properties

As per estimates, there are more than six lakh Waqf properties. Out of this, 2 lakh properties have been geotagged in last five years. To speed up the process, an autonomous body ‘Central Waqf Council’ under the Minority Affairs Ministry, called for bids by March 21 in order to empanel more agencies to carry out GIS or GPS survey. A pre-bid meeting has been called for on March 2, 2022.

Hired agencies

Central Waqf Council also aims to hire 20 agencies to speed up this work. In December 2021, it hired nine agencies that included IITs in Hyderabad, Kanpur and Jodhpur besides the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.

Reasons for the delay

The delay was mainly because “realistic targets” based on actual experiences was not set. It was estimated earlier that by March 2020, 50 percent of the properties will be geotagged. But by February 2021, only 96,000 properties have been geotagged. Covid-19 pandemic was the prime reason for tardy progress.

Central Wakf Council

Central Wakf Council is an Indian statutory body. It was established in 1964 under Wakf Act, 1954. It is of advisory nature on matters related to working of State Wakf Boards and proper administration of Wakfs in India.