The Ministry of Religious Affairs has formed new boards of trustees for the Hindu, Christian and Buddhist Religious Welfare Trusts. The boards were formed through three separate gazette notifications issued by the ministry on Sept. 2. Under the rules, the religious affairs minister will serve, ex officio, as chairman of all three trusts.
On the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust’s board of trustees, Nipun Roy Chowdhury and Suborna Sikder have been made senior vice chairmen, with Tapan Chandra Majumder made member and vice chairman. Also named as members are Jaydev Roy Joy, Dulal Biswas, Biplob Kumar Dey and Rajib Dhar Tamal, among 20 others.
On the Christian Religious Welfare Trust’s board of trustees, Anna Minz and Madhabi Marma have become senior vice chairmen. John Gomez has been given the role of member and vice chairman. Pius Costa, Quintan Ribeiro and Rita Rosaline Costa are among seven others named as members. Meanwhile, on the Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust, Saching Prue and Dipen Dewan have been named senior vice chairmen, with Professor Dr. Sukomal Barua as member and vice chairman. Sushil Chandra Barua, Masathoai Marma and freedom fighter Mongshaihla Chowdhury are among seven others serving as members. In all three trusts, the secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs will serve as a member ex officio.
According to the gazette notifications, apart from those appointed ex officio, the term of nominated trustees is three years from the date the notification was issued. They will, however, remain in their posts until new trustees are nominated. The government may change or vacate the post of any trustee at any time it chooses.
These new boards reconstitute the trusts by relieving the vice chairmen and all nominated members of the previous boards, which had been formed in late 2024.