Parliament Question: Protection and Development of Waqf Properties

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 4102 ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF WAQF PROPERTIES 4102. MD ABU TAHER KHAN Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: - (a) the details of the total area and number of Waqf properties in West Bengal as per Waqf Board records; (b) the details of steps taken by the Government to prevent encroachment and ensure proper utilisation of Waqf properties for education and health care; and (c) the quantum of funds provided to State Waqf Board for digitization and management of Waqf assets? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU) (a) As informed by the State Waqf Board of West Bengal, as on 07.08.2026, a total of 1,15,551 waqf properties has been registered on the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Portal with a total area of 81,841 acres. (b) As per Section 32 of the UMEED Act, 1995, the general superintendence of all auqaf in a State vests in the Waqf Board established or the State. It is the duty of the Waqf Board to exercise its powers under this Act to ensure that the auqaf under its superintendence are properly maintained, controlled and administered and the income thereof is duly applied to the objects and for the purposes for which the auqaf were created or intended.Section 54 of the UMEED Act, 1995, provides for the process of removal of encroachment from waqf properties. As per the Act, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the State Waqf Board, upon receiving a complaint or otherwise, may conduct an inquiry and if satisfied that the property is a waqf property and there has been encroachment, may make an application to the Tribunal for grant of order for removal of such encroachment. The Tribunal upon receipt of such application, for reasons to be recorded therein, may make an order of eviction after giving an opportunity of being heard to the person against whom the application has been made. In accordance with provisions of Section 3-B (1) of the UMEED Act, 1995, the process of uploading, verification and validation of waqf property details on the UMEED Central Portal-2025 is ongoing. Accordingly, information on utilisation for the intended purposes such as education and healthcare can be ascertained once the process of data uploading and validation is completed. (c) A total amount of Rs. 49.25 lakhs has been sanctioned and released by the Ministry of Minority Affairs to the West Bengal State Waqf Board during the F.Y. 2025–26 including for digitization and management of waqf assets. ****