Wakf Development Corporation to be set up soon

Nearly four lakh acres of land, belonging to the board, have been encroached across the country and there was no proper organisation to identify them and the Corporation would have the mandate to take up the responsibility, Khan said.

The Corporation will then take up various development works on the land for the benefit of the community, which was part of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee, Khan told reporters here.

On the proposed revised Wakf bill for better administration, Khan said there was some delay in presenting it in the Winter Session and it would be introduced in the Budget Session of Parliament.

The Union minister was here to take part in a function organised by South India Regional Council of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

To a question on the proposal for Islamic Banking, the minister said this was not a new concept, since in many religions and holy scriptures including in Vedas, Bible and Quran, taking interest on money was forbidden and the community wanted to introduce other methodologies to use huge money deposited in the banks, where there was no involvement of interest.

"It is not exactly Islamic banking, but participative banking," he said.

On whether there was any proposal to divest or dilute powers of the Comptroller and Audit General, Khan said Government has no such plans, for that matter, any constitutional bodies. However, people should know that reports by CAG were not final, it was only a finding, which can be rejected by Parliament.

On protecting women belonging to minority communities, he said there was no question of minority or majority women as far as rape was concerned. The culprits should be given stringent punishment, he added.