Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said here that for the first time since the Independence, the Central Government has been providing 100 per cent financial help to utilise Waqf properties across the country for educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development of the needy sections of the society. While chairing the meeting of newly constituted Central Waqf Council (CWC) in New Delhi, Shri Naqvi said that the Central Government has provided basic amenities to ensure educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development of Minorities, especially girls, in those backward areas of the country which were deprived of these facilities since the Independence.The meeting started with observing 2-minute silence to pay tributes to security force personnel who were martyred in terrorist attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.Shri Naqvi said that works have been done on war-footing to provide basic amenities to ensure socio-economic-educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development of Minorities especially girls in 308 districts of the country. While only 90 districts of the country had been identified for Minority communities’ development during the earlier Central Government; Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi led Government has expanded development programmes for Minorities in 308 districts of the country. He said that the campaign to utilise Waqf properties across the country for socio-economic-educational empowerment and job-oriented skill development has been successful. There are around 5.77 lakh registered waqf properties across the country. Shri Naqvi said that report of a five-member committee, constituted to review waqf properties lease rule, headed by Justice (Retd) Zakiullah Khan, has been submitted. The recommendations of the committee were discussed in today’s meeting.
The Minister said that the recommendations of the committee will ensure that Waqf rules are made easy and effective for better utilisation of Waqf properties and to free these properties, several of these entangled in disputes for several decades, from disputes. He said that the Central Government will take necessary action on the recommendations of the committee after examining the report.Shri Naqvi said that under “Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram” (PMJVK), the Minority Affairs Ministry, for the first time after the Independence, has constructed schools, colleges, ITIs, skill development centres, multi-purpose community centres “Sadbhav Mandap”, “Hunar Hub”, hospitals, business centres etc on waqf properties across the country.During the last about 4-and-a-half years, under PMJVK, 28 Degree Colleges, 2197 School Buildings, 40,201 Additional Classrooms, 1213 Hostels, 191 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), 50 Polytechnics, 39,586 Anganwadi Centres, 405 Sadbhavna Mandaps, 89 Residential Schools, 527 Market sheds etc have been constructed by the Modi Government in the Minority concentrated areas. Shri Naqvi said that Central Waqf Council is providing financial help to state waqf boards for digitalisation of waqf records so that state waqf boards can complete digitalisation work within decided timeframe as 90 per cent waqf properties already have been digitised. Remaining waqf properties will also be digitised soon. He said that the Government has provided scholarships to about 3 crore 83 lakh students belonging to Minority communities during about last four-and-a-half years which include about 60 per cent girl students. Due to the Central Government’s efforts for educational empowerment of all weaker sections including Minorities, school dropout rate among Muslim girls, which was earlier more than 70 per cent, has now been reduced to about 35 per cent. Our Government is working with a mission to bring it down to zero per cent in the coming years.The Government has provided employment and employment opportunities to more than 6 lakh Minority youths through various job-oriented skill development schemes. During the last 2 years, more than 2 lakh artisans have been provided employment and employment opportunities through “Hunar Haat”.