Empower elected Sarpanches and Panches immediately: Vakil to Omar Fruit industry backbone of our economy needs special attention

                                        

GNS Rafiabad May  06 : Former minister and member AICC Abdul Gani Vakil has stressed upon the chief minister Omar Abdullah to immediately empower elected Sarpanches and Panches failing which real purpose of holding elections to Panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir will become ineffective. He said that if Sarpanches and Panches are not empowered, they will get exploited by those elements who had all along been trying to create an uncertainty in the state and defame government for their vested interests.

Addressing a well attended public meeting at Chitloora Rafiabad, Gani Vakil appreciated chief minister Omar Abdullah led coalition government for holding elections to Panchayats and described the same as a path breaking achievement in decentralizing powers. Elections to Panchayats, he said were aimed at empowering people at grass root level and have a good governance in place.

He said that Congress had all along been empowering people at grass rot levels to meaningfully implant schemes of comprehensive development of villages in accordance with people’s aspirations. Gani Vakil said that these duly elected Panchayats should be empowered at the earliest so that powers that be are transferred to them and development assured.

He said Late Rajiv Gandhi’s contribution for Panchayat Raj system in the country infused new energy to the Gandhian doctrine and helped in a big way to involve public representatives at grass roots in the socio-economic development of villages. 

The former Minister said that the empowernment of Sarpanches and Panches in the State would catapult developmental activities and people could formulate and implement area specific programmes and schemes themselves. He said that transfer of functions, functionaries and finance to the Panchayats would be a revolutionary step of the present coalition and it would mean a lot to the people to be themselves masters in the development process. 

Vakil also referred to the reservation for women representatives in the Panchayat election and said that women Panches and Sarpanches could better address the problems of women in the particular areas besides exhibiting their worth in the process of economic development. 

Referring to fruit industry of the state, he said that this is backbone of our economy which should be given special attention. He however, regretted that fruit industry was being ignored and if such attitude remains in vogue our economy will receive a setback. This, he said will also render many jobless and prove to be a burden on state exchequer.

Gani Vakil asked government to exempt loan advanced to fruit growers for the reason that their orchids had been worst hit since past two years and this year’s hail storm has also damaged the crop. He said that fruit industry should be saved because it employs thousand of youth who are connected with it through packaging as well as marketing.  

Addressing the gathering Senior Congress leader and General Secretary J&K PCC Abdul Ahad Yatoo asserted that Congress will forcefully back every action which the government would take against corrupt politicians and government officers. 

“Punish the corrupt. Do not worry about the consequences,” is what Yatoo pleaded    with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while addressing the gathering.

Others who addressed the gathering include Ex Minister Gharu Ram, Haji Ali Mohammad Bhat, Sr. Congress Leaders Ghulam Nabi Patel, Ghulam Ahmad Lone, Youth Congress leader Altaf Ahmad Malik