In a significant development, the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission submitted its final recommendations to the Chief Secretary, J&K, Atal Dulloo, on Thursday.
The report, presented in presence of Secretary RDD&PR, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, is expected to highlight the objectives laid down at the time of its constitution.
Director Panchayati Raj, J&K, Sham Lal; Secretary in OBC Commission, Reyaz Ahmad Shah; Deputy Secretary in OBC Commission, Mohinder Sharma and others were also present on the occasion.
The Commission, headed by Justice (Retired) Janak Raj Kotwal, a former Judge of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, with former IAS Officer, RK Bhagat and former Dean of SKUAST Jammu, Dr. Mohinder Singh Badwal as members, was constituted with determining OBC reservation quotas. The Commission’s term officially ended on December 31, 2024, however, its tenure was extended till February 28, 2025 for accomplishment of the complete work.
Pertinent to mention that the Commission was constituted for the purpose of conducting empirical studies on OBC representation, engaging with stakeholders and recommending proportional reservations in urban and rural local bodies. Accordingly, during its tenure, the Commission analyzed records, surveys and census data to determine the OBC population share and their representation in the local bodies governance structure.
The panel sought data inputs from the government departments, institutions and experts; held consultations with researchers and conducted field visits across J&K to ensure a comprehensive assessment before submitting its report to the government.
The J&K Local Bodies Dedicated Backward Classes Commission was established on June 11, 2023, in compliance with Supreme Court Ruling in the K. Krishnamurthy Vs Union of India (2010) and Vikas Krishna Rao Gawli v. Maharashtra (2021) case.
Currently, Municipal Bodies, Panchayats and Block Development Councils in J&K are without elected representatives for a period of more than a year. The term of Municipalities ended in October-November 2023, while Panchayats and Block Development Councils completed their five year term on January 9, 2024.
In the recent electoral history of J&K, the three phases of panchayat elections including the Halqa Panchayat Elections (November 2018), Block Development Council Elections (October 2019) and District Development Council Elections (November-December 2020) were successfully conducted leading to significant devolution of Power in terms of Funds, Functions and Functionaries strengthening the grassroots democracy.
