Centre will build schools on Waqf land, says Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

New Delhi: Describing Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK) as a “game changer”, minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said the government would construct educational institutions, skill development centres, multi-purpose community centres, hospitals among others on Waqf properties “for the first time” under the scheme.

At the day-long National Waqf Conference here, Mr Naqvi said that the Union Cabinet had last week approved the PMVJK, which has provisions for developing infrastructure on waqf properties for the socio-economic-educational empowerment of Muslims. He said waqf rules were being made “easy and effective” to ensure better utilisation of the properties, noting that Waqf properties in many states were not being utilised properly due to complicated rules.

The programme covers 308 districts, 870 blocks, 331 towns, and thousands of villages.