‎Govt gives no timeline for Panchayat Polls, tells Assembly SEC still in preparatory phase

Srinagar, Sep 25 : The Jammu and Kashmir government has given no timeline for holding long-pending Panchayat elections, telling the Legislative Assembly that the State Election Commission (SEC) is still undertaking preparatory exercises, including revision of electoral rolls and processes related to delimitation and reservation.
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‎The disclosure came in a reply by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department to a question by MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir on the status of elected grassroots institutions.
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‎The terms of the Halqa Panchayats and Block Development Councils (BDCs) expired on January 9, 2024, while the tenure of the District Development Councils (DDCs) ended on February 24, 2026. With the expiry of the three tiers, J&K currently has no elected Panchayati Raj institutions.
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‎Asked about the proposed timeline for restoring elected grassroots institutions, the government did not provide any date or schedule.
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‎Instead, it said the State Election Commission is undertaking the requisite preparatory exercises, including revision of Panchayat electoral rolls and processes relating to delimitation and reservation for local bodies.
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‎The government said the SEC had issued an order on March 25, 2026, publishing a schedule for revision of Panchayat electoral rolls with April 1, 2026 as the qualifying date.
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‎The department made it clear that it does not have the statutory authority to conduct or schedule Panchayat elections.
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‎Citing Section 36(1) of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, it said the superintendence, direction and control of preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of elections under the Act vest with the State Election Commission.
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‎“The election programme and conduct of the electoral process fall within the statutory domain of the State Election Commission, J&K,” the government said.
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‎The department said it could, however, provide necessary administrative and logistical assistance to the SEC whenever required.
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‎The government also disclosed changes in the financial allocations available to the grassroots institutions.
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‎When elected PRIs were functional after the 2018 Panchayat and DDC elections, a Halqa Panchayat was earmarked around Rs 23 lakh annually, while a BDC received around Rs 25 lakh a year. The allocation for a DDC was around Rs 10 crore annually, translating into roughly Rs 71.42 lakh per DDC constituency.
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‎After the elected terms expired, the direct Rs 23-lakh allocation for each Halqa Panchayat was reduced, the government said.
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‎The department further said that, following comments from the Finance Department, ceilings during 2022-23 to 2024-25 were reported at Rs 271.25 crore a year for DDC/BDC grants and Rs 1,000 crore a year for PRI grants.
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‎With the UT Legislature coming into existence, these were capped at Rs 271.25 crore for DDC/BDC grants and Rs 715 crore for PRI grants during 2025-26, with an additional ceiling of Rs 145.25 crore for PRI grants, including Rs 0.75 crore per MLA for the last quarter of 2024-25.
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‎For 2026-27, the ceilings were fixed at Rs 271.25 crore for DDC/BDC grants and Rs 643.50 crore for PRI grants, out of total available funds of Rs 380 crore against the concerned grants.
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‎The department said the Budget Division had not issued any specific instruction or order revising the Rs 23-lakh Panchayat ceiling and that the exact status could be obtained from the Expenditure Division.
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‎The government also told the House that, according to departmental records, no PRI/BDC/DDC-funded works had been undertaken outside the respective territorial jurisdiction of the concerned institutions during the last three years, including in the Dooru constituency.
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‎It said the PRI/BDC/DDC grants form part of the District Capex Budget and funds are released by the Finance Department to the concerned District Development Commissioners for execution of works in accordance with the approved District Capex Plan and applicable rules.(KNS)
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