THE best school of democracy and the best guarantee of democracy is the practice of local self-governments,” said eminent historian and jurist Lord Bryce. The recent elections to the three-tier, grassroots-level democratic bodies, the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), signals a new phase in the politics of the reorganised state of Jammu and Kashmir.
PRIs are the bedrock of India’s democratic system established by the 73rd amendment of the Constitution. The revocation of Article 370 and the amendment of the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, in October 2020 paved the way for the conduct of elections to the local bodies.
The District Development Council (DDC), an elected body comprising 14 members, forms the top rung of the three-tier grassroots democracy comprising Halqa Panchayat, Block Development Council and the DDC. In fact, one can say that the DDC is a mini-parliament at the district level, directly elected by the people. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kash mir with a legislature consists of 20 districts, split into two divisions of Jammu and Kashmir, each comprising ten districts.
This story is from the January 25, 2021 edition of India Legal.
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This story is from the January 25, 2021 edition of India Legal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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