Parliament panel on Waqf Bill to hold first meeting

New Delhi: Parliament's Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill will hold its first meeting on Thursday and its members are scheduled to interact with representatives of the ministries of minority affairs, and law and justice.

The 31-member committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the contentious bill, which has drawn protests from the opposition parties and Muslim organisations. The representatives from the minority affairs ministry are expected to brief the committee on the "amendments proposed on the Bill", the Lok Sabha secretariat said.

The Bill is the first major initiative from the BJP-led NDA government aimed at reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal. It proposes several reforms, including establishing a Central Waqf Council alongside state Waqf Boards with representation to the Muslim women and non-Muslim representatives.