Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Feb 3: District Development Council (DDC) Member, Suchetgarh, Taranjit Singh Tony expressed concern over the exclusion of elected DDC representatives from the recently held pre-budget meetings and urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government to invite them before the final draft of the budget is prepared.
In a statement issued here, Tony said that CM Omar Abdullah had stated that MLAs were consulted during the pre-budget discussions.
However, he alleged that the administration failed to invite elected DDC members, who represent grassroots constituencies under the Panchayati Raj system.
Tony said, “The DDC members are directly elected representatives and play a crucial role in highlighting developmental priorities and public issues at the district and constituency levels. Their participation is essential to ensure that ground-level concerns are reflected in the final budget proposals.”
“There is a clear distinction between the representation roles of MLAs and DDC members. DDC representatives provide first-hand inputs from rural and local areas which must be considered before finalising the budget draft,” he added.
Tony appealed to CM Omar Abdullah and LG Manoj Sinha to ensure that elected DDC representatives from respective constituencies are invited for consultations before the budget draft is finalised.
“Ignoring the DDC members would be against the spirit of the Panchayati Raj Act and could undermine grassroots democratic institutions,” he asserted.
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