13 panches detained, protest march foiled

Jammu, September 17

The Jammu police today detained 13 panchayat members, including president of the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), after they tried to take out a protest march in support of their demand for the financial empowerment of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).

Reiterating their demand for the implementation of the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution in J&K, the AJKPC members said the government had failed to empower the PRIs financially.

“We request the UT government to create an annual Panchayat Development Fund of Rs 25 lakh on the pattern of MLAs’ Constituency Development Fund to improve the living standards of people at the panchayat level,” AJKPC president Anil Sharma said. — TNS