Home minister Amit Shah and other leaders during a meeting with village heads from Jammu and Kashmir at Minist... Read More

NEW DELHI: In an outreach to panchayat representatives, fruit growers and traders in J&K, home minister Amit Shah assured that benefits of the abrogation of special status under Article 370 will be visible soon and current curbs in the state would be lifted as soon as it was feasible to do so.

Shah's interaction on Tuesday was seen as intended to gain feedback from grassroots representatives rather than established political parties alone. Appreciating concerns of panchayat members regarding threats faced by them for having contested polls last year - when mainstream players National Conference and PDP kept away - Shah is said to have favoured their demand for security based on threat perception. They will also get insurance coverage of Rs 2 lakh each.

Singh assured sarpanches from J&K that the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments were now applicable and would empower local governance and panchayati raj institutions. He hailed the sarpanches as leaders of J&K responsible for ensuring benefits of government schemes reached the deserving and an atmosphere of peace and prosperity was maintained.

The minister assured the sarpanches that recruitment of locals for government jobs would start soon and that merit-based recruitment of at least five aspirants would be ensured from each village.

Importantly, Shah clarified that J&K's statehood would be restored as soon as the situation warranted, and asked the representatives not to believe rumours. He reassured them that nobody's land would be taken away and government land would be used for establishment of industries, hospitals and educational institutions. This would not only create employment opportunities for locals but also enhance tax revenues for J&K.

Shah promised to begin the process of block-level elections as quickly as possible. He sought the representatives' cooperation in the fight against terrorism and restoration of peace at the earliest.

Most of the sarpanches who TOI spoke to after their meeting with Shah sounded appreciative of Modi government's decision to nullify Article 370. A panchayat representative from Baramulla claimed they had been assured by Shah that communication curbs, including mobile ban, would be lifted in next 15-20 days. Home ministry officially said Shah had assured the delegation that a solution would be found "as quickly as possible".

The sarpanches, most from ordinary families, are being encouraged to aggressively implement local projects with funds directly transferred by the Centre to the panchayats. Union minister for PMO Jitendra Singh, who attended the meeting, said a new leadership could emerge at the grassroots level and central funds would reach them directly now.

Representatives of fruit growers expressed concern to Shah regarding the possibility of unsold and wasted produce. He assured them that the government would work with agencies concerned to resolve the issue. He said schemes like PM Fasal Bima Yojana would now reach farmers of J&K.

