News Brief
Arjun Brij
Jun 03, 2025, 11:17 AM | Updated 11:17 AM IST
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The central government is set to launch the ‘Umeed’ portal, an acronym for Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development on 6 June, government sources confirmed to India Today.
The centralised digital platform will serve as a national registry for all Waqf properties. As per the government's mandate, all such properties must be registered on the Umeed portal within six months of the launch.
Each entry must include a detailed property description such as length, width, and geotagged location.
Importantly, properties registered under the names of women will not be eligible to be declared as Waqf.
The central objective is to ensure that Waqf assets primarily benefit women, children, and economically weaker sections of society, according to the India Today sources. Registration will be managed through respective State Waqf Boards.
For properties that remain unregistered beyond the stipulated deadline due to valid technical or procedural issues, the government may consider a one-to-two-month extension.
However, any unregistered properties thereafter will be deemed disputed and referred to the Waqf Tribunal for adjudication.
The launch of Umeed comes in the wake of the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed in Parliament and received presidential assent from President Droupadi Murmu on 5 April.
The legislation has attracted legal scrutiny, with several petitions currently pending before the Supreme Court.
During the latest hearing on 27 May, the apex court sought responses from the Centre and other stakeholders.
Earlier, on 17 April, the Court declined to stay the Act after the government assured it would not enforce certain provisions immediately.
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Arjun Brij is an Editorial Associate at Swarajya. He tweets at @arjun_brij