Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted the district development councils after culmination of election process for their chairpersons and vice-chairpersons.
The department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj has issued a notification for constitution of DDCs in all 20 districts of the UT.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Rule 108-ZP of Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, the Government of Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory hereby constitute the district development council(s) for each district of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir bearing the names of elected chairperson, vice-chairperson and members thereof,” reads the notification issued by administrative secretary, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Sheetal Nanda.
The notification carries the names of all 278 elected members along with their constituencies, status and gender.
The DDCs were constituted nearly a week after the election process for key positions of chairperson and vice-chairperson concluded.
In the election, the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration(PAGD) won the chairpersonship of eight DDCs while Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) walked away with the slot in six districts.
The independents bagged the position in three districts while Peoples Conference won the slot in Kupwara district and Apni Party emerged victorious in Srinagar and Shopian districts.
A senior official told The Precious Kashmir that the government is now working out honorarium for DDC members, chairpersons and VCs.
“We are on the job and would soon notify honorarium. They will get better honorarium than their counterparts in other states,” he said.
In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, chairperson of Zilla Parishad gets Rs 12000 per month, vice chairperson and members respectively get Rs 8000 and Rs 5000.
He said the honorarium of a DDC chairperson would be better than a BDC chairperson, who gets Rs 15000 monthly.
He said the Hospitality and Protocol department would soon amend the J&K’s warrant of precedence to define status and protocol of DDC chairpersons and members.
It is pertinent to mention BDC chairpersons have been placed at serial number 28 in the warrant of precedence alongside district magistrates, district and sessions judge, major heads of departments, presidents of municipal committees and municipal councils and officers of the rank of brigadier.
