AJKPC congratulates center for Rs. 420 Crore package to JK Panchayats

Jammu, 16/June/2013 : Appreciating the announcement of Rs. 420 Crore Package for the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayats, AJKPC, All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference has hailed the union government for sanctioning such a huge amount for the empowerment of Panchayati Raj Insitutions in the state. Anil Sharma, General Secretary of AJKPC said we 33,000 Panchayat representatives welcome the package and hope that the union government would not only release the money but would also make it sure that the amount meant for panchayat is used only for the welfare of the Panchayats and state government do not divert the funds for any other purpose as it has been doing in other schemes. Anil said during our meeting with the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi Last Year, AJKPC delegation had raised this demand for the Panchayat Halqa Development Fund like MP/MLAD funds. This is obviously a step forward and would bring a trust amongst the panches and sarpanches who are otherwise deprived any rights by the Jammu and Kashmir government. The AJKPC also asked the union government to directly transfer the funds into the respective Panchayat’s Constituency Development Fund Accounts so that the panchayats can independently use this fund in consultation with the Gram Sabha without any interference of the bureaucrats as per their needs.   The state government should not take the credit for this package by the union government as the announcement of the package is the result of hard struggle of the innocent Panchayat representatives. On the issue of humiliation of Panches and Sarpanches including female panches in Udhampur by an IAS officer Yasha Mudgal, Deputy Commissioner of Udhampur  who had made  the male panchayat members to do Sit-Ups (Uthak baithak) and made female panches to recite multiplication tables in presence of officers, Anil Said AJKPC won’t let this serious issue be buried unless justice is done with the elected Panchayat members and the guilty officer is punished under law for her shameful  treatment with the panches.