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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘Set up full-fledged document assistance cell for Waqf Umeed portal'
With the confusion over the Waqf Umeed portal growing, a member of the Telangana State Waqf Board, Syed Abul Fattah Bandagi Badesha Quadri, pointed out that the Board must set up a specialised documentation and information technology cell so as to assist mutawallis in locating property documents, and uploading them. 'I had made a representation to the Minorities Welfare Department (MWD) last year, underscoring that the Chief Commissioner Land Administration (CCLA) office has important documents such as waqf muntakhabs, and files pertaining to jagirs, inam lands, temples, masjids, so on and so forth. The MWD wrote to the CCLA seeking a hand over of the files in the Urdu record room to State Archives,' Mr. Quadri told The Hindu. The MWD, in a letter issued earlier this month, also sought the cooperation of the Endowments Department in terms of accessing documents which could be waqf. Mr. Quadri underscored that not uploading documents on the portal could have long-term ramifications. Therefore, the cooperation across departments and agencies was paramount. 'While some board staff were sent to the Archives to gather documents, more focused efforts are required. Which is why the Board must give all possible technical assistance to mutawallis and managing committees to strengthen their documentation. Documents with different government offices must be made more accessible,' he said. Meanwhile, a senior board official pointed out that the State government has sought the opinion regarding the Umeed portal from the Law Department. A response is awaited.
Hans India
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Two-thirds of Tahsildars await repatriation since Assembly polls
Hyderabad: Two-thirds of the Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs), also known as Tahsildars, who were deployed to new districts during the Assembly polls in 2023, are still awaiting repatriation to their previous working districts. Out of more than 300 officials affected, fewer than a hundred have been transferred back to their original postings, with the remainder continuing to wait. This marks the first instance in Telangana where these officials, who anticipated repatriation within months, have continued to serve in their newly allocated districts. 'In the past, repatriation occurred not only in Telangana but also in the unified Andhra Pradesh within days of the polls,' informed official sources. 'Similar to the present state of Andhra Pradesh, during the YSR's time, all officials were repatriated in a single stroke of a pen. However, this time, despite most applying, the government has failed to pay heed, except for a few.' Interestingly, among those who have been repatriated to 'worthwhile' mandals, some are now unwilling to return to their original places, thus complicating the case for the majority who wish to return. For instance, one Tahsildar has applied for a key mandal like Bhadrachalam from a smaller mandal. Scores have opted for Khammam from neighbouring, less significant mandals. In southern Telangana, an official has applied for Nagarkurnool from a smaller mandal. 'There could be around 40 to 50 who wish to stay back. The big mandals are much sought after. Those who were posted in Rangareddy and Medchal do not wish to yield,' said an official posted within the city. The official clarified that the government is not keen on transferring Tahsildars to native districts, with non-native districts subject to vacancy availability. Meanwhile, some officials who were astute enough to manage staying back and working in local collectorates during the elections have received 'rewarding' posts. 'There is a feeling of injustice amongst those who left their places during polls. Some officials are enjoying at native places, while most are suffering in far-away places. The government is not ready to transfer at this juncture,' added the official. Disturbingly, some MROs have retired while still waiting for repatriation. One official, despite applying on health grounds, could not get approval from higher authorities. In an application to the CCLA (Chief Commissioner of Land Administration), the official, who was posted approximately 150 km from the State Capital and undergoing treatment at a corporate hospital following surgery, urged the Commissioner to be retained in the previously allotted district.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Windfall for CofE as fund manager in which it holds majority stake is sold to rival Jupiter in £100m deal
An investment manager which is majority-owned by the Church of England has been sold to rival Jupiter for £100million in a deal that has netted a cash windfall for the Church. CCLA dates back to 1958 when an investment fund was set up to allow church organisations to pool resources. Today, it also serves charities and local councils, and is the UK's largest asset manager for non-profit organisations, looking after more than £15billion in assets. Just over £3billion of that is invested by the Church of England. CCLA – or Churches, Charities and Local Authorities Investment Management – is 54 per cent-owned by the Church of England investment fund. That means the fund will receive a £54million windfall on the sale. The sum is expected to be reinvested rather than deployed for uses such as fixing church roofs. Also in line for a payout are the current and former executive directors of CCLA, who will between them receive £7.55million as a result of the deal. Under CCLA's ethical investment policy, its aim is 'to meet our clients' financial objectives in a way that we believe aligns with their values and furthers their mission'. Last year, its chief executive Peter Hugh Smith spoke out over efforts to encourage the Chinese fast fashion giant Shein to list in London, arguing that the City must not become a listings venue of 'last resort' for companies with 'dubious human rights records'. The company shuns making investments that are judged to be making too much money from climate change, tobacco, cannabis, 'indiscriminate' weaponry and oppressive regimes. After the sale to Jupiter, CCLA will be run as a stand-alone division with its ethical approach and investment strategies remaining unchanged, a spokesman said. The deal was signed off by the firm's advisory board, which includes representatives of the Church of England as well as charities and local authorities. Andy Brookes, chair of the board of trustees overseeing Church investment funds, said: 'CCLA is a crucial part of the wider Church of England family, serving some 11,000 parochial church councils, diocesan boards of finance, cathedral chapters and other Church of England charities by providing investment funds managed in line with our values and beliefs. 'We are confident that joining Jupiter will enable CCLA to offer an even better service to church charities to support them in their mission.' The deal, creating a group with combined assets of £59billion, remains subject to regulatory approval and is expected to complete by the end of 2025. Jupiter chief executive Matthew Beesley said: 'This acquisition helps us to increase scale in our home market of the UK, where Jupiter is already a leading player.' Yesterday, shares in Jupiter surged 10.7 per cent, or 11.6p, to 120p.
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
A.P. govt. releases new Revenue Manual aimed at streamlining land laws
In a landmark step towards consolidating and simplifying the complex land laws and administrative procedures, the government on Thursday announced the successful compilation and release of a comprehensive Revenue Manual which, according to an official release, is aimed at providing a definitive, legally guided roadmap to eliminating drudgery, deviation and ignorance in implementing the laws, including the crucial aspects of settlements, assignments, land acquisition and Record of Rights. The Revenue Manual was drafted under the leadership of the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) G. Jayalakshmi and Additional CCLA-cum-Secretary (Revenue Department) N. Prabhakara Reddy, who chaired the Revenue Manual Committee, on being instructed by the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad to do the much-needed streamlining of the land laws. Benefits The key impacts and benefits of the new Revenue Manual are consolidation of knowledge — it serves as a ready reckoner for revenue officers; enhanced clarity & simplification — it has laid down a simplified framework of legal and administrative procedures related to the land laws; improved service delivery — contains comprehensive guidelines and clear procedures that facilitate speedy and accurate delivery of the services; empowerment of functionaries — the manual equips theemployees with a legally guided roadmap that helps them avoid legal challenges and empowers them to perform their duties with greater confidence and precision; and foundation for digital transformation— it is designed as a foundational repository for future technological advancements, including the development of chatbots, FAQs, automation, and voice-based interactive solutions. Complexity The release stated that the revenue administration in Andhra Pradesh has historically been characterised by profound complexity stemming from its 19th-century origins in the British Administration of Madras Presidency. This system underwent numerous transformations over 150 years and continued to evolve rapidly post independence to align with the democratic aspirations and socialist ideals enshrined in the Constitution. This intricate backdrop was further complicated by the issuance of countless executive instructions, necessitating the integration of historical land tenurial systems with modern revenue laws, settlement laws, and all relevant executive directives. The sheer enormity and paramount nature of this task resulted in revenue functionaries being in a big state of chaos due to the fragmented and often contradictory nature of existing records and guidelines, and critical gaps in the administration, which left both the officers and citizens without a clear and coherent understanding of land laws. The Revenue Manual was brought out to address these serious challenges and establish a settled understanding of land laws.
Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Jupiter deal means £100m payday for Church of England charities
Religious groups and charities led by the Church of England are to receive a £100 million cash payday after selling their 'ethical' asset management business CCLA to Jupiter Fund Management. CCLA is one of the biggest players in so-called purpose-led investment, shunning investment in tobacco, biological weapons and oppressive regimes and trying to nudge companies into better compliance in areas such as emissions targets, anti-slavery rules and tackling obesity. Jupiter said the deal would gain it £15 billion in assets, boosting its total assets under management by one third to £59 billion, and pledged not to alter the CCLA investment philosophy. Shares in the FTSE 250 fund manager, which has been plagued by net client outflows for years, rose more than 12 per cent as the company said the deal would deliver cost savings of £16 million a year by the end of 2027. Matt Beesley, chief executive, said the values-based approach of CCLA would not change. 'We're preserving the CCLA brand and investment teams, including the sustainability team,' he said. Jupiter has not traded heavily on value-based investment but it was a pioneer of environmental investing and set up the Jupiter Ecology Fund in 1988. Peter Hugh Smith, chief executive of CCLA, said the decision to sell was driven by 'an increasingly complex governance position' because the ownership of CCLA was through funds managed by CCLA. Current and former directors of CCLA own 7.6 per cent of the business, suggesting they are in line for cash proceeds of £7.6 million. Employees own 3 per cent, directly and through staff share plans. The need for scale was also a factor because of escalating costs and more onerous regulation, he said. 'Being part of a bigger group has become more important.' He said there would be no change in the philosophy of CCLA and its influence as part of a larger group might even be enhanced. 'It gives us a bigger stick,' he said. CCLA traces its roots back to the Church of England Investment Fund in 1958 and formally joined forces with funds owned by charities and councils to form Churches, Charities and Local Authorities Investment Management in 1987. It manages the assets of 12,000 Church of England bodies, including cathedrals and parishes. It also runs money for Roman Catholic church entities as well as charities, local councils and individuals. CofE entities own 54 per cent of it. It has recently reinforced the importance of ESG (investment guided by environmental, social and governance factors) in the face of a Trump-led backlash, which has led other asset managers to play down their sustainability efforts. It has over the years named and nudged dozens of companies, it argues, that have not done enough to meet its 'Good Investment' standards, including Unilever, Shell, Rio Tinto and Amazon. It recently rebuked McDonald's for not doing enough to stamp out slavery. Beesley acknowledged that asset management mergers often disappointed: 'You upset clients, you lose assets. What is so attractive here is that there is no overlap in investment teams or clients. 'I think our underlying business is gaining momentum. This deal will accelerate that momentum.' Unlike Jupiter, CCLA has had positive inflows from new and existing clients in each of the past three years and reported cumulative net inflows of £4.3 billion since 2015. In the year to March it generated £66 million of revenue and just under £13 million of underlying operating earnings. It employs 184 people and has not ruled out job losses. Jupiter also announced a tweak to its dividend policy, saying that it would pay out 50 per cent of performance fee-related revenue generated in respect of FY 2025 in the form of a special dividend or an additional share buyback or both. The shares were last trading at 122p, up 13 per cent. Analysts said the deal could enhance Jupiter's earnings per share by as much 40 per cent by 2027. Stuart Duncan, at Peel Hunt, said: 'We believe this acquisition represents a sensible use of excess capital, and the additional capital return should be well received.'
