A STUDY OF WAQF ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF INDIA (WAMSI) SOFTWARE: GOVERNANCE, UTILITY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the management of waqf properties through Remote Sensing and GIS, and GPS techniques. In India, there is a large number of waqf properties; according to the Sachar Committee report (2006) titled Social, Economic, and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India, the total area under waqf properties at about 600,000 acres at a book value of approximately Rs. 6000 crore^[1]. Some famous waqf properties are the Dargah of Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer or the Shahi Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri. The Central Waqf Council undertakes the management of Waqf to check gross mismanagement and encroachment of Waqf properties. The Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, in 2009, developed the Waqf Asset Management System of India (WAMSI), an integrated online workflow-based information system for managing the Waqf properties under the control of various State/U.T. Waqf Boards. The advantage of this software system is transparency in sharing up-to-date information to the public at large and keeping a check on the revenue generated for the welfare of society in conformity with the noble object of Waqf. The methodology used in the paper is a qualitative research method where available works of literature were reviewed, conceptual and data-based evidence were analysed. The paper explores how WAMSI could be very useful to the countries where the Islamic concept of Waqf is prevalent and in practice, particularly in West Asian, South Asian, and South-Eastern Countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Malaysia, Thailand, and UAE.