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Created: 10 July 2019

JAMMU: All Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), the frontline body of elected Panchayat members in J&K, has welcomed the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement of releasing Rs 1,500 crore in the second phase under the 14^th Finance Commission for Panchayats of the state. In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Anil Sharma, AJKPC state president expressed his gratitude to the Union Home Minister for taking first step in clearing the mounting liabilities and overall development of Panchayats across the state.

“The AJKPC delegation recently met to the Union Home Minister during his visit to Kashmir and demanded for empowerment of Panchayats in toto. We had apprised him of the mounting liabilities under MGNREGA scheme and he had promised to resolve the issue. It is a welcome step that he has announced to release Rs 1,500 crore in the second phase of 14^th Finance Commission for the state,” Sharma said.

He hoped that the Centre would also release the remaining Rs 1,500 crore in the third and last phase of 14^thFinance Commission shortly. The AJKPC leader said they had submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister listing various demands of elected Panchayat members. “We are quite hopeful that the Centre would take early steps to fulfill other genuine demands of Panchayat members, including implementation of 73^rd Amendment of Indian Constitution, early constitution of BDCs and DDPBs, fixed monthly salary of Rs 25,000 for Sarpanches and Rs 10,000 for Panches and separate election and finance commissions for Panchayats,” he said.