Deriding state government move to cover Panches and Sarpanches under an insurance plan, Panchayat members recently termed the initiative as an attempt to bail out the present dispensation from its failure to empower the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the state.
A meeting held by the executive members of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (JKPC) at Srinagar to discuss insurance plan for Panchayat members concluded that the government decision is mere eyewash™. It is quite disheartening that instead of taking the steps for empowerment of Panchayats, the government of Jammu and Kashmir is playing dirty politics time and again with these elected representatives by giving hollow slogans,â said Ghulam Hassan Punzoo, spokesman of JKPC.
The AJKPC has further warned the insurance companies of non cooperation from Panchayat members if they reach any agreement with the state government to cover Panchayat members. The JKPC strongly warns the insurance companies not to enter any sort of agreement with the government as the Panches and Sarpanches are not going to provide any sort of necessary documents for the same.
Punzoo added that the government so far has not taken a single initiative for empowerment of Panchayats which not only isolated the Panches and Sarpanches from the masses but has made the lives of these representatives more vulnerable.
The security of Panches and Sarpanches lies with the empowerment and not with the release of insurance money in favour of kith and kin of those who will get killed. It seems quite evident that the government of J&K is not sincere about the security of these 34000 elected representatives which lies in empowerment rather than playing dirty tactics of either MLC elections or insurance cover, a statement issued by JKPC reads.
The Panchayat members have said that if the state government is sincere to empower PRI™s, it can be achieved by taking the Panchayat Raj Act for legislation in the upcoming budget session and giving it a legal shape so that the state machinery is bound to follow the law in letter and spirit.
Despite repeated requests by AJKPC, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has not so far come up with any constructive roadmap towards the empowerment of Panchayats as such the AJKPC has approached the Governor of J&K state and the delegation is scheduled to meet the governor by next week, Punzoo has informed.
Strongly opposing the hollow initiatives™ of the government, the JKPC has said the best insurance cover for Panchayat members will be the empowerment of PRIs and not through any insurance plan.
The AJKPC believes that the best insurance cover to Panches and Sarpanches lies in empowerment rather than paying a premium of few hundred rupees to insurance companies, Punzoo has added.
On January 6, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had indicated the intention of his government to make provision in the next year™s Budget for stipend and insurance cover of Sarpanches and Panches irrespective of getting any financial support from the Centre in this regard.
We have taken up this issue with the Centre for funds, he said maintaining that whether the Central Government accedes to the request of the State or not, the State Government would make the provision in the next Budget for providing stipend and insurance cover to Panchayat members. This is likely to involve Rs. 100 crores annually, Omar had announced.
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