MP Waqf Board awards scholarships over Rs 21.5L to orphans

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh State Waqf Board has given scholarships worth Rs 21.6 lakh to 289 orphaned children studying from kindergarten to Class 12. The money comes from rent earned on Waqf property in Bhopal.

The awards for the 2026-27 academic year were made under the Waqf Shahjahani Yateem Scholarship Scheme. Students received cheques, certificates and mementos at a function here presided over by board chairman Sanwar Patel, who holds the rank of a Cabinet minister.

Patel said the entire amount came from the annual rent collected on a portion of the Waqf Idara Yateemkhana Shahjahani property in Bhopal.

The board advertised twice in newspapers inviting applications from orphaned children, he said, and the beneficiaries were selected on merit.

He said the board’s approach to education rests on encouraging children to learn, teach and contribute to nation building.

Patel said about 4,000 tenancies fall under the Auqaf-e-Amma office in Bhopal, which the board oversees. If tenants paid rent in full and on time, he said, the board could spend more on welfare, particularly education.

The Auqaf-e-Amma office already runs several welfare schemes, according to Patel. These include widow pensions, financial help for the poor, grants to mosques and madrasas and gifts for the weddings of young women.

Patel said his four years as chairman had seen better protection of Waqf properties, action against encroachers, new lease rules and a sharp rise in rent under revised guidelines. He credited much of this to the new Waqf Act of 2025.

He added that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had praised the board’s work in a written message.

Bhopal’s Shahar Qazi, Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadwi, told the students to make the most of their time and to focus on building skills as well as academic quality. He also urged them to pay attention to character and to be good to their parents and society.

The function opened with a recitation from the Quran followed by the national anthem.

Among those present were Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority Morcha state president Ibrahim Sherani, its state general secretary Javed Akhtar and Bhopal district Haj Committee president Irshad Ansari. Yateemkhana president Shakeel Anwar and secretary Musa Siddiqui also attended, along with other community figures.

The board’s chief executive officer, Farzana Ghazal, delivered the vote of thanks.

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