Many Deptts engaged in exercise, guidelines soon
*Protocol of Chairpersons, Members being finalized
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 28: The Government proposed to give major powers to the newly elected District Development Councils (DDCs) for development of their respective districts.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government has set the process in motion and will be shortly coming out with detailed guidelines mentioning powers of the Councils especially with regard to the Departments.
The District Development Councils will become role model of development in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said; adding that majority of powers pertaining to development of the districts will be vested with the DDCs. However, the guidelines are being framed in such a way that whenever there is an elected Government in place, the DDCs don’t have any conflict with the Legislature.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government will shortly come out with detailed guidelines defining powers of the DDCs including its Chairpersons, Vice Chairperson and Members. Their protocol will also be fixed soon for which an exercise will be undertaken by the Hospitality and Protocol Department. This will be done to spell out powers of the Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of Territorial Constituencies of the newly formed District Development Councils.
“Some models of powers assigned to the District Development Councils by different States have been studied by the Union Territory Government and the best model is likely to be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir as this is for the first time that third-tier of Panchayati Raj System in the form of DDCs is being set up here since Independence,” sources said.
They added that the Rural Development and General Administration Departments are engaged in hectic exercise to define powers of the District Development Councils in terms of development, control over departments and their relationship with elected Government whenever it is formed.
The exercise, they said, will be completed shortly.
The Central Government, according to sources, also mulled handsome direct funding for the DDCs which will be in addition to the funds to be provided to them by the Union Territory Government for developmental works.
Territorial Constituency Fund is also proposed for the elected members of the DDCs, sources said.
Population of the district (in the areas under the DDCs) is likely to be the criteria for funding of the Committees by the Central Government as all the DDCs have equal number of 14 elected members, sources said.
“Population is likely to be the criteria for direct funding of the District Development Committees. This is being done in view of the fact that certain districts like Jammu, Kathua, Baramulla and Kupwara have much higher population than Samba, Reasi, Bandipora and Kulgam districts,” sources said, adding the population-based criteria of Central funding to the Committees will lead to equal distribution of funds.
“Direct funding to the DDCs by the Centre and funds given to them by the Union Territory Government will empower the District Development Committees to formulate their annual budget for developmental works to be identified by elected members of the Territorial constituencies,” sources said.
Asserting that the steps were aimed at real empowerment of the District Development Committees as is the case in many other States, sources said this will lead to gross-root development in rural areas as third-tier of Panchayati Raj System will have significant funds at their disposal.
At the same time, sources said, the Block Development Council (BDC) Chairpersons and Panchayat members including Sarpanchs and Panchs will continue to have their say in development including the funds being received by them.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
