Central Waqf Council Ministry of Minority Affairs, Goverment of India

Scheme of Grants-in-aid to Waqf-Development of Urban Waqf Properties 2017-18 to 2022-23

Background

Waqfs are permanent dedication of movable or immovable properties by any person for purposes recognized by the Muslim Law as pious, religious or charitable. Apart from their religious aspect, the waqfs are also instruments of social good as the benefits accrue to the needy in social-economic and educational fields.

For a variety of reasons, the majority of auqaf in the country have limited income. The result is that generally the Mutawallis (Managers of auqaf) find it difficult to adequately fulfill the purposes for which these auqaf are created or intended. Most of the urban waqf lands have the potential for development but the Mutawallis and even the Waqf Boards are not in a position to muster enough resources for construction of modern functional building on these lands.

Objective

With a view to improving the financial position of the auqaf and the Waqf Boards and to enable them to enlarge the area of their welfare work, this scheme has been formulated with a view to protect vacant Waqf land from encroachers and to develop economically viable projects on these properties for generating more income and / or to widen welfare activities.

Under the Scheme, interest free loan is advanced to various Waqf Boards and Waqf Institutions in the country for construction of economically viable building on the Waqf land, such as commercial complex, marriage halls, hospitals, cold storage etc.

Need for Modification/Continuation of the existing Scheme

The Central Waqf Council has been implementing this Scheme since 1974-75 with the annual Grant in aid provided by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Under the Scheme, the Central Government has released a total grant-in-aid amounting to Rs.6393.66 Lakhs between September 1974 to March,2023 and in turn the Central Waqf Council has extended interest free loan to 156 projects.

The implementation of the above Scheme was reviewed with the State Governments and State Waqf Boards on 7.1.2017. Thereafter, the Scheme was got evaluated through national Institute of Labour Economics Research & development (NILERD), New Delhi. Among other recommendations, NILERD was of the view that the above Scheme needs to be continued at least for ten years more so that adequate number of waqf properties could be developed.

Based on the feedback received from State and findings of the evaluation study done by NILERD on the existing Scheme, it has been decided to continue the scheme by incorporating the feedback received and recommendations made by NILERD, and renamed as SHAHARI WAQF SAMPATTI VIKAS YOJANA(SWSVY)