Admn okays changes in Panchayati Raj Bill to incorporate OBC quota

Jammu, December 28

The Administrative Council, which met under the chairmanship of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved carrying out amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, to incorporate the definition of the other backward classes (OBCs) in the Act for ensuring their reservation in this grassroots democratic institution.

L-G’s Adviser Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, L-G’s Principal Secretary Mandeep K Bhandari and Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo attended the meeting. Earlier, the draft J&K Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was submitted to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The observations raised by the MHA were examined and necessary amendments were incorporated in the revised Bill.

The amendment Bill proposes incorporation of definition of OBCs for providing reservation to them, explaining method of disqualification from membership of halqa panchayat, suspension and removal of sarpanch, naib-sarpanch and panch by the government. It also defines the process for removal and conditions of service of the State Election Commissioner (SEC) here.

“The proposed amendments aims to make J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 more effective by ensuring transparency in functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), constitutional alignment and consistency with practices in other states where reservation has been provided to the OBCs apart from the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes,” an official spokesperson said.

Bringing transparency

The move is aimed at making the statute more effective by ensuring transparency in the functioning of the Panchayati Raj Institutions, constitutional alignment and consistency with the practices in other states where reservation has been provided to the OBC, apart from SCs and STs.