Vijayawada: Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board Sheikh Abdul Azeez announced plans to provide free residential intermediate education along with coaching for IAS and IPS examinations to meritorious students. He urged the community to join him in this endeavour, stating, “Walk with me, and together we will uplift the Muslim community.”

The announcement came during the 5th Waqf Board meeting, presided over by Chairman Abdul Azeez held here on Monday at the Imdad Ghar Complex near Kaleswara Rao Market in Vijayawada. All agenda items presented during the meeting were unanimously passed. Following the board meeting, Abdul Azeez met with several Muthawallis and managing committee members appointed in the previous board meeting and handed over their appointment letters.

Addressing the newly appointed members, Abdul Azeez stated, “What I am giving you are not positions, but responsibilities.” He lamented that in the past, the Waqf Board had not done enough for the welfare of the Muslim community.

He highlighted that while many philanthropists had donated thousands of acres of land, approximately 30,000 acres of the nearly 70,000 acres of Waqf land have been encroached upon and are no longer under their control. Furthermore, he noted that about 15,000 acres of the remaining land have been acquired by the government.