Enhance funds under B2V programmes to Rs 25 lakh, hike monthly honorarium of PRI members: Anil Sharma
Reasi/Udhampur, September, 30, 2020: All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC)—a frontline organisation of elected Panchayat members—has reiterated its demand for complete empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the Union Territory by implementing 73rd Amendment of Indian Constitution in toto.
The AJKPC president Anil Sharma, during his district level visits to Reasi and Udhampur districts, welcomed the government’s initiative of taking bureaucratic set up at the doorsteps of the people through Back to Village (B2V) programmes and said it was the yearning of the Panchayat members in J&K to have complete empowerment of PRIs through 73rd Amendment of Indian Constitution in letter and spirit.
“Various line departments of the government were asked to consult the elected members of PRIs while implementing the welfare schemes. It is unfortunate that these departments are not adhering to the government guidelines. All such issues can be addressed suitably if the PRIs are fully empowered,” Sharma said while addressing large gatherings of members of PRIs comprising Panches, Sarpanches and BDC chairpersons.
The AJKPC leader, who was accorded warm welcome in Reasi and Udhampur districts, also demanded for financial empowerment of the Panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir. “The PRIs have not been able to bring a desired change on ground in rural areas due to non-availability of financial resources. We request the UT government to create Panchayat Development Fund on the pattern of MLAs’ Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to improve the living standards of people at Panchayat level,” he said.
He demanded that the government should fix a minimum amount of Rs 25 lakh per Panchayat as PDF which would help the elected Panchayat members to bring a positive change on ground.
Sharma also demanded that the government should make a provision of Rs 25 lakh per Panchayat for every Back to Village programme to address the local issues and carry out development in a right manner.
The AJKPC leader also demanded immediate enhancement of monthly honorarium being paid to Sarpanches and Panches. “It is very difficult for Sarpanches and Panches to work under the existing meagre honorariums of Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,000 respectively. We demand that the government should immediately hike the honorarium of Sarpanches to Rs 10,000 per month while it should be Rs 5,000 per month for Panches. The monthly honorarium of BDC chairpersons should be hiked to Rs 25,000 per month,” Sharma said.
Prominent among those who attended the programmes were BDC chairpersons, Pawan Sharma, Parveena, Dina Nath, AJKPC district president Reasi, Raj Kumar, Kewal Singh, Vaneet Kumar, Ravi Kumar, AJKPC district president Udhampur Sansar Singh Jamwal and Sarpanches Pritpal Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Sudesh Kumar, Hans Raj Thakur and Nirmal Kumar.
