IN THE first major legislative change after Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory, the Union government has announced creation of District Development Councils (DDCS)—district-level self-governing bodies. On October 17, the Union government amended the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, and the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, to create DDCS; and on November 4, State Election Commissioner K K Sharma declared that elections to DDC will be held on November 28. All major parties have agreed to participate in the election, though they are unhappy with the creation of DDCS.
Unlike any other part of the country, every district in Jammu and Kashmir (j&k) will be divided into 14 territorial constituencies which will elect members to DDC. The members will then elect chairperson and vice-chairperson who will administer the district. DDC will have complete jurisdiction over the district except the areas controlled by a Municipality or Municipal Corporation. Though Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and chairpersons of Block Development Councils (BDCS) will also be in the DDC, only the 14 elected members will have the power to elect or remove the chairperson and the vice-chairperson.
According to the Central government as well as the j&k administration, the move will empower democracy at the grassroots level. Under the prime minister, “a pathbreaking step, to set up, for the first time, district development councils” has been taken, tweeted Jitendra Singh, minister of state for the Prime Minister’s Office. The j&k administration too termed DDCS “as a constitutional requirement under the 73rd Amendment” that provides for a uniform three-tier Panchayati Raj at village, intermediate and district levels.
This story is from the November 16, 2020 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 16, 2020 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
INVISIBLE THREAT
Significant presence of microplastics in Puducherry’s agricultural soil raises concerns for soil and crop health
Feeding off each other
VEGETARIAN MOVEMENTS IN SOUTH ASIA AND THE WEST GREW WITH MUTUAL SUPPORT AND VALIDATION
India's unhealthy patent amendments
Despite strong pleas, the Modi regime has changed the rules to impose a cost on those who challenge faulty patents
URBAN DISCOMFORT
Poorly planned, heat-trapping infrastructure, along with dwindling natural spaces, turn up the temperatures in major Indian cities
BLAZING SUN IS ON
Rising temperatures are testing the limits of human tolerance to heat. With their predominantly built-up landscape, urban areas offer no respite. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment on the morphology and heat patterns of nine Indian cities over the past decade shows how these urban centres are turning into heat islands with a potentially serious impact on human health. An analysis by Rajneesh Sareen, Mitashi Singh and Nimish Gupta, with Shagun in Haryana and Kiran Pandey
"H5N1 may be more severe than COVID-19"
In early April, the US confirmed the first case of avian influenza in livestock, along with cow-to-human transmission of the virus disease.
A PSYCHEDELIC HIGH
Driven by surge in global trials and low success rate of current medications in treating mental health problems, researchers call for home-grown clinical trials of psychedelic drugs
Locked out
Two years after becoming the only state to be excluded from the Centre's ruralemployment guarantee scheme, villages in West Bengal grapple with distress migration and debt traps
'Protection from climate change part of right to life'
The Supreme Court of India, on April 5, recognised that citizens have a right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change, saying it is intertwined with the fundamental rights to life and equality. Here are the key arguments articulated by the three-judge bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra in their judgement
Weaving dreams
Tribal communities in West Bengal slowly embrace traditional weaving to ensure sustainable livelihood