MUZAFFARABAD: Local Government (LG) institutions, elected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) last year after a gap of more than three decades, would be provided grant-in-aid by the government in a bid to empower them administratively, financially and technically.

This was announced by minister for local government and rural development (LG&RD) Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore at the meeting of a ministerial committee constituted by the government to suggest measures to improve the performance of the LG institutions.

Headed by Mr Rathore, the committee includes minister for elementary and secondary education Deevan Ali Chughtai and minister for Mangla dam affairs Chaudhry Qasim Majeed as members.

Apart from the officials concerned, the meeting was attended by Sardar Imtiaz Abbasi, Sardar Javed Sharif and Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, chairmen, respectively, of the district councils of Muzaffarabad, Poonch and Kotli, Sikandar Nisar Gillani and Abdul Qayyum Baig, mayors, respectively, of the municipal corporations of Muzaffarabad and Bagh and Mir Majid Hussain, representative of the chairmen of union councils.

“The government wants to empower LG institutions and will provide grant-in-aid to them under the same approach,” said Mr Rathroe at the meeting.

“Being public representatives, we are fully aware of the challenges faced by the local bodies and we are earnestly trying to resolve them,” he added.

However, citing AJK government’s budget constraints Mr Rathore made it clear that in the first phase, grant-in-aid would be given to LG institutions of Muzaffarabad and Poonch divisions, including a special grant of Rs 40 million for the Municipal Corporation of Muzaffarabad.

He further said that the committee was working to propose amendments in the existing Local Government Act on the pattern of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and other provinces.

“Addressing the problems of elected local representatives is the first priority of the government,” he asserted Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chughtai said that the government wanted to empower the elected councillors up to the ward level, which needed administrative and financial reforms.

By making union councils more functional and active, numerous public issues will be resolved at the doorsteps of people, he said, adding, revival of conciliation court system at union council level will also help provide cheap and quick justice to the people.

Mr Majeed declared that the amendments in the existing Local Government Act 1990would be made in consultation with LG representatives.

He said that LG leaders were in fact representatives of the political parties of state, and empowering them would improve service delivery.

Earlier, Secretary LG&RD Syed Shahid Mohyiddin Qadri informed about the progress regarding the implementation of the decisions taken at the committee’s last meeting.

So far, as many as 16 amendments had been made in the Local Government Act 1990 and opinions and suggestions were being ascertained for further amendments by consulting the relevant laws of the provinces and GB as well as the elected LG heads, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2024