Centre notifies rules on portal, database, audit of Waqf properties
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has notified the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025 that deal with issues such as the portal and database of Waqf properties, the manner of their registration, conduct of audit and maintenance of accounts.
The rules were notified on Thursday in exercise of powers under Section 108B of the 1995 Act, which was inserted through the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, which came into effect from April 8, 2025.
According to the rules, a portal and database is set up for the purposes of filing of details of Waqf, uploading the list of auqaf, registration of new Waqf, maintenance of register of auqaf and maintenance and submission of accounts of mutawalli of a Waqf, publication of audit report and proceedings and order board under Section 48 of the Act.
The joint secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Minority Affairs in-charge of the Waqf division shall be responsible for the supervision and control of the portal and database, the rules notified said.
The portal and database shall contain the details and fields referred to in the Act, monitoring and management of Waqf properties and related data, court cases, resolution of disputes and such other details and fields as are necessary for the filing of details of the Waqf and the property dedicated to it on the portal and database.
Every state government shall appoint an officer not below the rank of a joint secretary to that government as the nodal officer and shall establish a centralised support unit, in consultation with the central government for providing assistance in streamlining uploading of details of Waqf and properties thereof, registration, maintenance of accounts, audit and other related activities of the Waqf and the board, the rules stated.
The portal and database shall include features for real-time monitoring of registration of new Waqf and filing details of the Waqf and properties dedicated to the Waqf, institutional governance, court cases and dispute resolution, financial oversight and resource management, and for surveys and development thereof, the rules stated.
Every mutawalli shall enrol on the portal and database by using his mobile number and e-mail address through authentication by one-time password (OTP) received from the portal and database and thereafter be able to access the portal and database and file details of his Waqf and property dedicated to the Waqf.
After enrolment, the mutawalli shall be able to login the portal and database by using his mobile number and e-mail ID with OTP for future use of the portal and database in respect of his Waqf.
A mutawalli is the manager or administrator of a Waqf property, which is an Islamic charitable endowment.
Every user of the portal and database, including board, collector, designated officer under Section 3C of the Act, and other officers of the central government and state government dealing with Waqf shall also have access to the portal and database under this rule.
Central Waqf Council shall have access to the information uploaded on the portal and database.
As per the rules, after completion of survey, the state government shall publish the list of auqaf which shall contain the identification, boundaries of Waqf properties; their use and occupier; details of the creator, mode and date of such creation; purpose of Waqf; and their present mutawalli and management.
The state government shall ensure the notified list of auqaf and the details of each Waqf are uploaded on the portal and database within a period of 90 days from the date of publication of the list in the official gazette by an officer authorised by the state government.
If the notified list of auqaf and details of each Waqf could not be uploaded on the portal and database within the period specified under sub-rule (2), the state government shall upload the same within a further period of 90 days along with the reasons for the delay, the rules stated. A waqf created after the commencement of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 (14 of 2025) shall make an application to the board for its registration under Section 36 of the Act within three months of its creation, they said.
The application for registration of Waqf shall be made on the portal and database in Form 4, the rules said. The board shall maintain a register of auqaf under Section 37 of the Act in electronic mode on the portal and database in Form 5, they said.
On receipt of the audit report under sub-section (2) of Section 47 of the Act, the board shall publish the audit report on the portal and database, according to the rules.
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Vaishnaw flags off Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat, services from May 2
Srinagar (PTI): Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday flagged off the 20-coach Vande Bharat Express train between Jammu and Srinagar, the first direct train between the twin capitals of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh, were among the dignitaries present at the flagging off ceremony.
The direct train services between Srinagar and Jammu will reduce travel time between the twin capitals of Jammu and Kashmir, and boost tourism, besides providing an all-weather surface transport link.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first direct train service between Katra and Srinagar on June 6, 2025. This service is now being extended up to the Jammu Tawi Railway Station.
The work on the Rs 43,780-crore rail project, linking Kashmir to the rest of the country, began in the late 1990s, with the first train operating in the Kashmir Valley in October 2008.
While train services had reached Udhampur by 2005, the treacherous terrain through the mountainous Pir Panjal range made it tough to link the valley with the rest of the country until 2025.
"The modern 20-coach Vande Bharat train will commence its maiden journey from Jammu Tawi, traversing the route up to Srinagar while connecting the challenging geographical terrains of the Valley," an official said, adding that a train from Srinagar has also started moving towards Jammu simultaneously.
Before the commencement of the Jammu-Srinagar service, a trial run of the Vande Bharat was conducted on Tuesday from Jammu to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway stations, officials said.
The inaugural Vande Bharat train, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and comprising 20 coaches, will cover a total distance of 267 kilometres.
The Jammu-Srinagar train service -- scheduled to start on May 2 -- will operate six days a week. There will be no train service on this route on Tuesdays.
"Constructed using indigenous technology, this Vande Bharat Express will offer passengers a world-class travel experience," Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said.
"It features amenities such as the 'Kavach' safety system for passenger security, a GPS-based information system, and comfortable rotating seats. This service will not only reduce travel time but also provide a massive boost to the local economy and tourism," he added.
The extension of the Vande Bharat to Jammu Tawi is the latest milestone in a decade-long effort to transform railway connectivity in Jammu & Kashmir.
The Udhampur-Katra section was commissioned in 2014. The Kashmir Valley saw its first electric train in February 2024, while a dedicated Jammu Railway Division was created in January 2025.
Stations at Jammu Tawi, Katra, Udhampur, and Budgam are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, built at a total cost of Rs 43,780 crore with 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges, is the connective tissue that makes all of this possible, an official said.
