JAMMU, Dec 28: Under the direction of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the Administrative Council (AC) approved the amendment of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, incorporating a definition of OBCs in order to guarantee their reservation in this grassroots democratic institution. Attending the meeting were Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, the Lieutenant Governor’s principal secretary, Atal Dulloo, the chief secretary, and advisor Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar.The J&K Panchayati Raj Act (Amendment) Bill 2023 was previously submitted to the MHA and the Government of India. The MHA reviewed the draft bill and made the necessary changes, which were then included in the updated version. The amendment bill suggests adding a definition of OBCs to provide reservations for Other Backward Classes, outlining the process for being excluded from Halqa Panchayat membership, and allowing the government to suspend and remove Sarpanch, Naib-Sarpanch, and Panch. Here, it also outlines the State Election Commissioner’s (SEC) terms of service and removal procedure.By guaranteeing openness in the operation of PRIs, constitutional alignment, and conformity with practices in other states where reservation has been granted to OBCs other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the proposed amendments seek to improve the efficacy of the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989.
