Waqf Bill to Be Tabled in Lok Sabha Today, Set for 8-hour Discussion : (ECONOMIC TIMES)
New Delhi (editorial) : The Waqf (Amendment) Bill will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, shortly after the Question Hour, followed by an extensive eight-hour debate.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed the schedule on Tuesday, stating that while some members suggested four to six hours, the Opposition had demanded 12 hours. A consensus was ultimately reached for an eight-hour discussion, though the Speaker may extend it based on the House’s sentiment.
The debate is expected to be heated, with Opposition parties preparing to strongly contest the Bill. “Some parties are deliberately trying to create chaos and making excuses to avoid the debate. The nation deserves to hear their objections,” Rijiju remarked. As the Minority Affairs Minister, Rijiju will introduce the Bill and outline its provisions during his speech.
The BJP has issued a whip, direc ting all party MPs to be present. Seven BJP MPs will participate in the debate, including: Jagdambika Pal, who chaired the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill; Ravi Shankar Prasad; Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey, Tejasvi Surya, Abhijit Gangopadhyay and kamaljeet sherawat.
Separation of Trusts from Waqf
Muslim-created trusts under any law will no longer be classified as Waqf, ensuring full autonomy over such trusts Empowering Central Waqf Council & State Waqf Boards
The Bill broadens representation in decision-making by including nonMuslims, other Muslim communities, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) among Muslims, and. women to improve efficiency.
■ The Central Waqf Board will include two non-Muslim MPs, former judges, and other eminent persons, who need not be Muslims.
■ Among the Muslim members, at least two must be women.
Technology & Centralised Portal for Property Management
A centralised portal will streamline registration, audits, contributions, and litigation related to Waqf properties, enhancing transparency and efficiency.
Eligibility for Waqf Dedication
Only practicing Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate their own property to Waqf, restoring the pre-2013 provision.
Protection of ‘Waqf by User’ Properties
■ Already registered Waqf properties will remain so unless disputed or identified as government land.
■ Government properties previously classified as Waqf will cease to be Waqf.
■Collectors will resolve disputes and conduct surveys per state revenue laws.
Women’s Rights in Family Waqf
Women must receive their rightful inheritance before any Waqf dedication, with special provisions for widows, divorced women, and orphans.
Mandatory Reporting on Waqf Income & Management
Section 65 mandates Waqf Boards to submit reports on income and management improvements within six months, ensuring accountability and timely action.
Development of Waqf Lands
■ Section 32(4) allows Waqf Boards to develop Waqf lands into educa- tional institutions, shopping centers, markets, or housing projects.
■ Waqf Boards can take over properties from Mutawallis when necessary for development.
India’s educational transformation — the true picture ( THE HINDU )
It has been argued that the education system in India has veered off its course in the last 11 years of the Narendra Modi government. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The country that witnessed the monumental neglect of the education system by previous governments is deeply aware of the unpleasant truth. While nations across the world reimagined education for a rapidly evolving world, India’s educational framework remained trapped in a time capsule, with the last major policy update in 1986, which was marginally amended in 1992. This was a deliberate perpetuation of colonial mindsets accompanied by a move to insulate the country from rapid technological changes taking place in the world.
What past policy was like
Corruption and a governance deficit were the defining features of the country’s educational past. Public universities were systematically starved of funds. Unregulated private institutions mushroomed into degree mills. Those who suffer from selective amnesia need to be reminded of the infamous Deemed University scandal of 2009 university status was granted to 44 private institutions without proper evaluation, with many found guilty of financial irregularities. Political interference in education was rampant.
The University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education became instruments of control rather than enablers of excellence. Appointments to leadership in universities were based on political loyalty.
Textbooks deliberately downplayed the contributions of revolutionaries such as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Veer Savarkar and others while portraying uncomfortable historical truths about foreign invasions. Historical narratives were carefully curated to serve partisan interests. India’s diverse cultural and intellectual traditions were systematically marginalised. All of these contributed toward creating an education system that remained disconnected from India’s glorious past and devoid of civilisational ethos.
The National Education Policy of 2020 represents a decisive break from this inglorious past. It is a product of the most extensive democratic consultations in India’s policy history. Based on the five pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability, the NEP 2020 is a policy of the people, by the people and for the future of the people.
The focus is empowerment and change One of its primary objectives is to correct structural inequities inherited from centralised, rigid and elitist frameworks. With this transformative approach, the enrolment of Scheduled Castes (SC) in higher education has increased by 50%, Scheduled Tribes (ST) by 75%, and Other Backward Classes by 54% since 2014-15.
Women’s empowerment is at the heart of these reforms. Female enrolment across all categories has grown by an impressive 38.8%, crossing 2.18 crore in 2022-23. Among Muslim minority students, female enrolment rose by 57.5%. In the board examinations, the performance of girls has shown steady improvement. In higher education, PhD enrolment among women has increased by a whopping 135%. Today, women in the field of higher education STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) constitute 43%, thus shattering the glass ceiling in domains that were dominated by men. Female teachers now constitute 44.23% of the teaching workforce, up from 38.6% in 2014, thus
transforming academic leadership landscapes. The data represent a fundamental shift in India’s academic ecosystem, with women reclaiming their rightful place in India’s intellectual journey.
These gains reflect a fundamental shift in priorities. Per-child government expenditure has increased by 130%, from ₹10,780 in 2013-14 to 25,043 in 2021-22. The Government is prioritising early childhood education and foundational learning and numeracy for a child’s overall development, cognitive growth, and future learning. Government schools are being upgraded with modern infrastructure, holistic pedagogy and other support systems. With concerted efforts, the number of out-of-school children and also drop-out rates have decreased. The pupil-teacher ratio has improved, and, most importantly, learning outcomes have been steadily improving.
The NEP 2020 has introduced futuristic elements such as coding from middle school, multidisciplinary approaches to problem-solving, and innovation hubs in rural areas. Over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) are nurturing grassroot-level innovation. The Government has plans to add 50,000 more ATLs with broadband Internet connectivity in schools in the five years ahead. These initiatives represent a fundamental reimagining of education for India’s future.
In higher education, sustainable revenue models have freed universities from resource dependency. India now has 11 universities in the QS World Rankings top 500, a remarkable improvement from the past. Research publications have increased by 88% since 2015, propelling India to 39 in the Global Innovation Index, up from 76 in 2014. The Anusandhan-National Research Foundation is nurturing research and innovation in collaboration with industry and academia.
Language primacy
Most significantly, the NEP has restored primacy to all Indian languages and knowledge traditions, overcoming the decades of ‘English-first’ policies. Through the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) initiative, over 8,000 higher education institutions have adopted IKS curricula. Through the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Yojana, 15,000 original and translated textbooks in 22 Indian languages will be published, which will benefit millions of young minds to express themselves in their mother tongues.
The Government’s commitment to social justice was reflected in the enactment of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019, for reservation of teaching positions in central educational institutions for SCs, STs, and others by treating the ‘Institution as one Unit’ rather than a grossly flawed system of treating ‘each Department as one Unit’. Similarly, the Government dispensed with the mischievous practice of declaring “None Found Suitable” in university recruitments to reject candidates from SC/ST/OBC categories and converting these into non-reserved posts, in the interest of making reservation truly meaningful.
The government remains focused on building a Viksit Bharat wherein education truly liberates and empowers. The decade ahead will witness an educational renaissance that honours India’s past while fearlessly embracing the future. India’s education system has finally broken free from colonial shadows and ideological captivity. It stands poised to fulfil the dreams of millions of Indians.
This is not merely education reform. It is the intellectual decolonisation that India has awaited for a long time, which will catapult India into the comity of developed nations.