DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS (DDCs)

Recently, the Centre amended the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, to facilitate the setting up of District Development Councils (DDC), the members of which will be directly elected by voters in the Union Territory.

What are DDCs?

The DDCs will act as a new unit of governance in J&K.
This structure will include a DDC and a District Planning Committee (DPC).
J&K Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, have also been amended to establish DDCs.
This system shall replace the District Planning and Development Boards in all districts.
It will also prepare and approve district plans and capital expenditure.
The term of the DDC will be five years, and the electoral process will allow for reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women.
The Additional District Development Commissioner (or the Additional DC) of the district shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the District Development Council.

Structure:

Their number has been specified at 14 elected members per district representing its rural areas, alongside the Members of Legislative Assembly chairpersons of all Block Development Councils within the district.
The electoral process will allow for reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.
The Additional District Development Commissioner (or the Additional DC) of the district shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the District Development Council.

Centre’s objective behind this new structure

The J&K administration in a statement said that the move to have an elected third tier of the Panchayati Raj institution marks the implementation of the entire 73rd Amendment Act in J&K.
The idea is that systems that had been made defunct by earlier J&K governments such as the panchayati raj system are being revived under the Centre’s rule in the state through the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.
In the absence of elected representatives in the UT, senior government officials argue that DDCs will effectively become representative bodies for development at the grassroots in the 20 districts of the UT.
They hope that this may draw some former legislators in as well.

Important for Prelims:

What are DDCs?

Composition of DDCs

What are the functions for DDCs?

Who will elect the members of DDC?

Who will chair these Councils?

Important for Mains

Discuss the roles and functions of DDCs.