Strengthening further the grass root democratic institutions in Jammu and Kashmir and with an aim to according a sense of security to the elected members of the Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies, an individual insurance cover of Rs.25 lakh has been approved. In fact, not only was the demand to this effect forthcoming from the elected members for quite some time but its relevance and urgent need were being increasingly assessed and felt across the UT , in particular in the Kashmir valley. It also could be seen in context of the killing of an elected Sarpanch in Kashmir last month by militants where, after his assassination, this demand grew stronger which led to a decision to this effect being taken by Administrative Council which met under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor recently. The decision is commendable .It is to be noted that while the backbone of the militants , their outfits and their over ground and underground supporters is being broken as a result of a decisive fight against terrorism and violence, soft targets are continuously chosen by them in a bid to register their presence here and there , if not for any relevance.
Since all possible moves are employed by the Government and security forces to motivate the misled and misguided but indoctrinated youth to shun militant activities, join mainstream and get rehabilitated,those resorting to violence and spilling innocents’ blood are being dealt with sternly. However, providing insurance cover of a substantial amount guaranteeing to the insured members of the elected bodies would not only give them a sense of security and their families being taken care of and looked after but would encourage them to counter militants’ writ and their local influence, if any.That too, plays a significant role in overawing and demoralising militants. Every effort taken, every critical decision made and every type of implicit and explicit manoeuvring must be done to neutralise the threat perception of dwindling and waning militancy in Kashmir. That, all elected BDC Chairpersons , Sarpanches, Panches and other elected members of Municipal Bodies of Jammu and Kashmir were to get life insurance cover in case of suffering death due to militancy related attacks deflates the false claims of some disgruntled people that the UT and Union Governments were not serious about providing insurance cover to the elected representatives of Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies.
Not only about the elected representatives of these institutions but even of their families , assurance of due care was bound to herald a new enthusiasm about doing more at their respective levels , now that more and more powers and functions were assigned to them. It is heartening to note that short term permits are on the anvil to be granted to the Panchayati Raj Institutions for engaging in mining activities, a new experience of course ,the ceiling of which shall be limited to 1 hectare and shall be valid till September 30, 2021. Not only that, in this connection, these institutions have been exempted from payment of advance royalty to Geology and Mining Department before commencement of mining thus enabling them having liquidity advantage to spend on other items of expenditures of priority.
The new activity that of mining entrusted to Panchayats, to begin with, on a limited scale, shall enable them to raise additional funds through surpluses registered through mining activities by causing the extracted material to be sold in local markets. That exercise had added advantage in that the prices of such construction material shall remain under proper check. Ever since successful elections to these bodies took place two years back in Jammu and Kashmir , more and more empowering steps were taken by the Government in their favour.
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