Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday raised serious concerns over the misuse of Waqf properties in India, claiming that despite having the highest number of such properties globally, they are not being used to uplift the poor in the Muslim community.

"India is a big country and every inch of land in this country should be used properly. There should be no dispute in this," Rijiju said. He highlighted that India has more than 9.72 lakh Waqf properties — the highest in the world — but their intended purpose is being lost.

"More than 9 lakh 72 thousand Waqf properties are in India but it is not being used for the poor Muslims. Its misuse, its looting by occupying the property, is a matter of concern," he added.

Justifying the government’s recent amendments to the land bill, Rijiju said the changes were made with two primary goals: to ensure benefits for underprivileged Muslims and to stop the alleged misuse of Waqf land. "So when we amended the land bill, our two main objectives are to benefit the poor Muslims and to stop the looting and misuse of the property," he asserted.