India’s Minority

Over 517K Waqf properties registered on UMEED portal; 216K approved

A total of 5.17 lakh Waqf properties were initiated on the UMEED portal while 2,16,905 properties were approved by the designated approvers during the six-month window provided, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The UMEED Central Portal for management of Waqf Properties in India, launched by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on June 6, 2025, officially closed for uploads on December 6, 2025, completing its six-month window, as per the UMEED Act, 1995 and the clear directions of the Supreme Court. In the final count, the momentum significantly accelerated as the deadline approached, the ministry said in a statement. Many review meetings, training workshops, and high-level interventions even at the secretary-level injected renewed pace into the process, making the upload surge in the last hours, it said. According to the data provided by the ministry, 5,17,040 Waqf properties were initiated on the portal with 2,16,905 properties approve

Minority affairs ministry adds UMEED portal module to aid women, orphans

In a significant step toward strengthening inclusive welfare mechanisms, the Ministry of Minority Affairs on Wednesday launched an additional module on the UMEED Portal, which enables widows, divorced women, and orphans to apply for maintenance support from certain Waqf properties. The new functionality enables widows, divorced women, and orphans to apply for maintenance support from Waqf-alal-aulad properties, in accordance with Rule 8(2) of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025, framed under a section of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995. In a significant stride toward strengthening inclusive welfare mechanisms, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has launched the additional module on the UMEED Portal, an official statement said. The launch of this module marks a forward-looking step in making Waqf administration more people-centric, transparent and digitally enabled, the Ministry of Minority ...

India's Haj quota rises to 175,000 in 2025: Minority affairs ministry

Ministry further said that all necessary preparations--flights, transport, Mina camps, accommodation, and services--were completed per Saudi guidelines

Only those who misunderstood are opposing it: Kiren Rijiju on Waqf Act

Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on Friday with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, while the Lok Sabha cleared the bill after a lengthy debate, with 288 members voting in favour and 232 opposing it

Lok Sabha clears Waqf Bill after 12-hour debate; Opposition slams move

Opposition calls the Bill anti-Muslim and unconstitutional; Centre says it aims to ensure transparency and efficiency in waqf administration

Waqf bill: NDA, India bloc issue whips as Parliament braces for showdown

With battle lines clearly drawn, the Parliament debate is expected to be heated as the incumbent NDA government and the Opposition face off over the implications of the Waqf Amendment Bill

Envoys from Muslim nations praise India's strong ties with Islamic world

Envoys from 19 Muslim-majority nations attended the 'Sadbhavana Iftar' hosted by the Indian Minorities Federation at MP Satnam Singh Sandhu's residence in New Delhi on Thursday evening

4% quota for minority contractors to protect backward classes: K'taka dy CM

The Karnataka state cabinet approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, which aims to provide 4 per cent reservation in tenders to Minority contractors

ED raids SDPI offices: Rijiju says agencies act on facts and figures

When questioned about the action on SDPI, a political party recognised by Election Commission of India, Rijiju stated that any action taken against illegal deeds should not be seen as a communal issue

Oppn filed dissent on 281 of 428-page JPC report on Waqf Bill: JPC chairman

The Opposition first misled the JPC by claiming that passing this Bill would result in the seizure of all Waqf properties. Now, it is extending this narrative as part of its appeasement strategy

Committed to providing quality education to Muslim youth: UP minister

Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari on Tuesday said the state government is committed to providing quality education to Muslim youths through madrassas with complete sincerity. Ansari is also the MoS of Muslim Waqf and Haj in the Yogi Adityanath government. His remark came after the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the 2004 Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrassa Education Law and set aside an Allahabad High Court verdict quashing it on the grounds that it was violative of the principle of secularism. "The Supreme Court decision regarding madrassas in Uttar Pradesh will be addressed by the Adityanath government with positive steps necessary in line with the ruling," Ansari said. "Improving madrassa education has always been a priority for the Adityanath administration. We are committed to providing quality education to Muslim youth through madrassas with complete sincerity," he added. Earlier in the day, in a majority 7:2 ruling, the

Tipra Motha announces rally to protest attacks on minorities in Bangladesh

Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Debbarma said his party, an ally of the BJP, will organise a rally on September 26 to protest the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Debbarma made the announcement on Saturday after the party's youth wing YTF gave a deputation to the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Agartala, seeking the safety of minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. "This is not the first time that minorities, including Bengali Hindus and indigenous people, were attacked after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in Bangladesh. Minorities were attacked in Noakhali and Comilla districts too. Maharaja Bir Chandra Library was set on fire and books that were 300 years old were gutted," he said. Urging the Centre to take up the issue, Debbarma said the time has come to raise it at the United Nations. "We will stage a massive rally to protest the attack on minorities in Bangladesh on September 26. Our youth organisation YTF will also join the rally to raise voice agai

For Sri Lanka's ethnic minority Tamils, election does not offer hope

Traditionally, Tamils have voted for Tamil parties which are active in northern Sri Lanka

Parl panel issues summons ministry officials over rules of 2013 Waqf law

A parliamentary committee has summoned officials of the Minority Affairs Ministry to explain reasons for the delay in completing the process for framing subordinate legislation under the 2013 Waqf law. The decision of the Rajya Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation to call the secretary and representatives of the ministry next week comes at a time when a Joint Committee of Parliament is scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 which seeks to amend the Waqf (Amendment) Act of 2013. The Rajya Sabha panel has also summoned officials of the Ministry of Defence on the reasons for delay in completing the process for framing of subordinate legislation under the Cantonment Act, 2006 on the same day. Both Houses of Parliament have their own committees on subordinate legislation which examine whether rules and by-laws related to a law are framed in time and are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. The 2013 Act had given certain powers to Waqf Boards. The 2024 bill

Oppn defaming country, refugees know India is safe for minorities: Rijiju

Six recognised minorities, technically and by definition we are minority but by no means, emotionally, socially.... no one in this country is minority, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju added

Govt proposes JPC scrutiny over controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill

Opposition parties have criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling it an attack on the Constitution, religious freedoms, and the federal structure of India

Budget 2024: Minority affairs ministry's allocation increases by Rs 574 cr

The budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs has increased by Rs 574.31 crore to Rs 3,183.24 crore for 2024-25 as against the revised estimate of Rs 2,608.93 crore in 2023-24. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget for 2024-25, her seventh straight presentation, surpassing the record of former prime minister Morarji Desai. This was the first budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's third term in office. The budget allocation for the ministry was Rs 3,097.60 in 2023-24. However, the revised estimate was Rs 2,608.93, according to official documents. The budget estimate for the Ministry of Minority Affairs this year is Rs 3,183.24. Of the proposed allocation for the ministry, Rs 1,575.72 crore is for education empowerment. The allocation for Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities is Rs 326.16 crore and for Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities is Rs 1,145.38 crore. A total provision of Rs 2,120.72 crore has been made for the ma

PM SVANidhi scheme: Share of minority applicants and beneficiaries down

OBCs, too, saw big drop in applicant, beneficiary share

Religious minorities see sharper loss of regular wage jobs: PLFS data

Overall, the share of workers having wage/salaried employment has declined to 20.9 per cent in 2022-23 from 23.8 per cent in 2018-19

Democracy for the minority, by the minority

With Donald Trump likely to storm back to power on their dime, their contribution to powering the cause of far-right minorities is no less disturbing