Southern Waqf boards urge Centre to add regional languages to UMEED portal
Bengaluru (PTI): Waqf boards from southern states on Monday urged the Centre to make the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development) portal available in regional languages during a review meeting held here, officials said.
Representatives from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana participated in the meeting organised by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs and shared their views, they said.
According to a statement, discussions focused on improving efficiency, transparency, and ownership of Waqf properties through the UMEED central portal. Since its launch in June 2025, all Waqf Boards across the country have been mandated to upload details of Waqf properties within six months.
Representatives from the southern states informed that they had already begun the process and would expedite the work in the coming days.
“Representatives from various states requested that the portal be made available in regional languages,” the statement said.
Officials from the Ministry of Minority Affairs responded positively, assuring that the portal would be updated to support multiple languages and made more user-friendly in the coming days.
The meeting also saw southern states, including Karnataka, sharing updates on the progress of their respective Waqf Boards’ activities.
The programme was organised as part of the Ministry’s efforts under the UMEED Act, 2025, which came into effect in April this year.
“The Government of India, through the Ministry of Minority Affairs, is committed to modernising Waqf administration and unlocking the full developmental potential of Waqf properties for the benefit of minority communities,” the statement added.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
