Demands increase in funds for most populated Panchayat Mishriwala
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Former Minister and Senior BJP leader Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar said BJP-led government has empowered panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir by giving them powers and funds and the power of vote at the grassroots to elect representatives and leaders.
Jammu and Kashmir was being ruled by “three families” who supported the continuation of Article 370 which was “a temporary measure”. Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019 after the BJP-led government came back to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Sukhnandan reminded the Bhalwal residents.
On the demand of increase in funds for Panchayat Mishriwala, the residents of Mishriwala Panchayat, Bhalwal in Constituency North Jammu, Sukhnandan said “BJP gave rights to panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir, provided budget, empowered them.,” Sukhnandan said.
Population in this Panchayat is manifolds high. It is more than ten thousand with outsiders settlement with over five thousand votes and funds are same as like in other Panchyats, which have population around two thousand to three thousand.
Sukhnandan said, “I will take up the matter with the LG Manoj Sinha also to address this genuine problem of Panchayat Mishriwala so that the development works in this Panchyuat are completed with same pace.
“I am a worker of BJP at grass-root level and I know the difficulties being faced in our rural areas,” Sukhnandan said to the villagers at Bhalwal, adding “your faith in me has strengthened me more to fight for your causes.
He said elections to lower Panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir were held in December 2018 in which 74 per cent of people participated.
“Kashmir never recorded this kind of polling percentage. About 3,650 Sarpanchs and 33,000 Panchs were elected. The ruler will now not be born to a queen but will be elected through votes,” the former minister said.
He further said that 21 administrative matters have been given to Panchayats and about Rs 1500 crore have been directly put into accounts to pave the way for the development of villages.
Others who attended the meeting at Bhalwal in Mishriwala Panchayat include Sarpanch Mohd Ameen, Mulakh Raj, Rohit Verma, Adv Naresh Bhagat, Yash Seth, Naib Sarpanch Subeet Singh, Panch Joginder Singh, Jeet Singh, Bua, Ravi Bhagat, ex-ZEO Avtar Singh, Vijay Kumar Media Incharge Domana and prominent citizens of Mishriwala area.
