The Centre on Wednesday approved the adaptation of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Raj Act, 1989, paving the way for three-tier grassroots level democracy in the Union Territory.
The adaptation of the Act would allow the people of the Union Territory to elect their representatives to the ward Sabha or the ward Majlis, Gram Sabha or the Halqa Majlis and district development committees.
“The move will help establish three-tiers of grassroots level democracy like in the other parts of the country for the first time since Independence,” I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.
The government notified the Act on October 16, and the Union Cabinet approved it on Wednesday.
“The three-tier system was not there in Kashmir before. They did not have the opportunity to elect their local representatives. This step fulfils the promise made by
Prime Minister Modi in Kashmir, and the home minister in Parliament,” Javadekar said.
The minister said elections to the local bodies will be held soon and they would also enjoy financial powers to implement welfare schemes.
“One sad truth about Kashmir was that power was not in the hands of the people but it was wrested in
the hands of a few people. This decision of the cabinet has handed power to the common man,” Javadekar said.
He said he was confident that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would welcome this decision.
The decision to devolve powers to the three-tier panchayat system has come a year after the Modi government read down Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
It also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories that of Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
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