"Every opinion, ideology respected": JPC member Aparajita Sarangi on Waqf Bill discussions

Bhubaneswar (Odisha), [India], November 10 (ANI): BJP MP and Member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, Aparajita Sarangi, highlighted JPC's commitment to respect every opinion and ideology given by different organisations and individuals on the Bill.
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Sarangi said that the committee has already concluded 25 sittings on the Bill since August this year and 47 organisations were called in from across states.
"JPC was formed on August 9, 2024. The first meeting was held on August 22, 2024. From that day to this day, a total of 25 sittings have been done. Meetings are being held in different states, and various groups, organisations and people are being called. 47 organisations have been called," Sarangi said.
"We will talk to all those people and organisations who have to give their opinions on the bill. Every opinion must be respected; every ideology must be respected. This has been followed by our committee. After all these, reports, we will hand over it to the speaker," she added.
The JPC committee is expected to present its report on the bill to the Parliament by the end of the first week of the winter session, which is scheduled from November 25 to December 20, 2024.
PC is conducting a series of meetings to gather input from government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members, and community representatives from various states and Union Territories, aiming to achieve comprehensive reform
JPC is currently on a tour to five cities, including Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow, from November 9 to November 14 to examine the bill.
Earlier on Saturday, Jagdambika Pal, the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, chaired a meeting regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Guwahati, Assam.
Representatives from the Assam government, the state waqf board, the state minority commission, High Court lawyers, and other stakeholders participated in the discussion. Several opposition members stayed from the study tour.
The Waqf Act 1995 was originally established to regulate Waqf properties, but it has long faced criticism over issues of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha this August, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)