PM, Sonia face protest at Waqf Corp launch

• Say most of Sachar recommendations implemented
• Waqf Development Corp set up with Rs 500 cr capital
• It will create basic infra on Waqf properties

New Delhi: The ambitious launch of the National Waqf Development Corporation, which could vastly benefit the Muslims, by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the presence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, was marred by a protest over the poor implementation of the welfare schemes for minorities. The protestor, later identified as Faheem Baig of North-East Delhi, shouted before he was bundled out of the auditorium, “There is no need for a new scheme when the government cannot ensure the implementation of the existing welfare schemes. I have written 150 letters to you but my voice is not being heard.”

While security personnel took him out of the auditorium in the Vigyan Bhawan, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi directed Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan to meet the person and sort out the issue.

According to sources, Sonia Gandhi wanted to meet the protestor, but he could not be traced immediately. She instructed Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan to meet him, hear out his grievance and settle the issue.

Rahman Khan, who met the protestor later, found out that the protest was over the poor implementation of the Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme for Minorities. The found that the complaints brought to his notice were State-specific. The Centre would be speaking to the States concerned and try to sort out the issue, he assured Faheem Baig.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underscored the point that the Congress-led UPA Government had been “unwavering in its commitment” for the protection and promotion of the interests of minorities. He pointed out that the government had implemented most of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee. The Prime Minister Minister’s 15-Point Programme for Minorities and the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme are large initiatives focused on removing the development deficit, which some minorities suffer from. Another important intervention has been the scholarship schemes for children from the minority communities, he pointed out.

The National Waqf Development Corporation has been established with an authorized share capital of Rs 500 crore. It will facilitate and mobilize financial resources for setting up of facilities like schools, colleges, hospitals on Waqf properties for community purposes in a transparent manner for the minorities. “I have been told that there are more than 4.9 lakh registered waqf properties in India today, which fetch an annual income of about Rs 163 crore. Many of these properties have the potential of generating considerable returns, which in turn could be used for the socio-economic development of the Muslim community. As per the estimates of the Sachar Committee, if these properties are properly developed, they could fetch an annual income of about Rs 12,000 crore, assuming an annual return of 10 per cent on the value of the property. It is this vast potential that NAWADCO will strive to realize,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the Government has also recently amended the Waqf Act. The amendments are expected to bring transparency in administration of waqf properties and provide an enabling environment for the development and utilization of waqf lands to the benefit of the Muslim community. The amended Waqf Act has particularly strengthened the role of Central Waqf Council, he pointed out, which was established to advise the Government on matters pertaining to the working of State Waqf Boards and proper administration of waqf properties. The Central Waqf Council is now empowered to issue directives to State Waqf Boards on their performance, particularly on their financial performance, survey of waqf properties, maintenance of waqf deeds and prevention of encroachments on waqf properties.

In her address at the inauguration of the National Waqf Development Corporation, Sonia Gandhi underlined the secular credentials of the Congress. She cautioned the people against the forces, which are out to weaken the country's secular ethos and said that communal harmony should not be disturbed over small, local incidents.