What is a key feature of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025?

Correct option is D

The correct answer is: (d) Inclusion of non-Muslims and Muslim women in Waqf Boards
Explanation:
· The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 (originally introduced as the 2024 Bill and renamed the UMEED Act) introduces significant changes to the composition of Waqf Boards.
· Key Feature: It mandates the inclusion of two non-Muslim members in both the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards to ensure broader representation.
· Gender Inclusivity: It explicitly requires the presence of Muslim women on these boards (two on state boards and two on the central council).
· Sectarian Representation: It ensures representation for Shia, Sunni, Bohra, Agakhani, and other backward classes of Muslims to prevent the dominance of any single sect.
Information Booster:
· Renaming: The Act renames the 1995 Act to the "Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act" ( UMEED).
· Collector’s Power: A controversial but key provision shifts the power to decide if a property is government land or Waqf land from the Waqf Board to the District Collector.
· "Waqf by User": The Act removes the concept of "Waqf by User," meaning a property cannot be claimed as Waqf simply based on long-term religious usage; it must have a valid deed.
Additional Knowledge (Incorrect Options):
Implementation of uniform civil code guidelines (Option a)
· The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a separate constitutional proposal regarding personal laws (marriage, inheritance) for all citizens. It is not a provision within the Waqf Act, which specifically deals with property management.
Nationalisation of all registered Waqf properties (Option b)
· The Act does not nationalize Waqf properties (i.e., transfer ownership to the state). They remain community endowments dedicated to God (Allah), managed by the Boards, though with increased government oversight.
Abolition of all existing Waqf Boards (Option c)
· The Act does not abolish the boards; it restructures them. It modifies their composition and reduces some of their autonomous powers (like declaring property status) but the institutional framework remains.