The Lok Sabha, on Tuesday, passed a crucial bill aiming to provide reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir. The move comes as the government highlights significant transformations in the Union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Responding to the debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Law (Amendment) Bill-2024, Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, underscored the developmental strides witnessed by the people of the Union Territory under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Presently, there exists no provision for the reservation of seats for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in panchayats and municipalities in Jammu and Kashmir. The Bill aims to rectify this gap by providing reservation to OBCs in panchayats and municipalities in the region, aligning the local body laws of the Union territory with the provisions of the Constitution.
“In ensuring this, justice will be ensured to the citizens of Other Backward Classes of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time after 75 years of independence,” stated the objects and reasons of the bill. During the discussion on the Bill in Lok Sabha, Minister Rai dismissed the opposition’s demand for declaring a timeframe for holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir and the restoration of statehood. Rai criticized opposition members for diverting attention from the issue at hand and engaging in other discussions.
“I wish to make one thing clear, no matter how much you go around in circles, but in Jammu and Kashmir wherever you go you will only hear ‘Modi, Modi’ and the development ushered in by Modi,” Rai asserted. The passing of the bill reflects the government’s commitment to equitable representation and empowerment of marginalized communities in the governance structures of Jammu and Kashmir.