Life insurance cover at the grass root level

06/07/2020

The demand about life insurance cover was projected by a delegation of Sarpanches and Panches before the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the month of September last year and the Union Minister had assured to consider the same sympathetically keeping in view the prevailing law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Government of J&K Union Territory started an exercise in this regard through the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. The issue was debated in numerous meetings of Committee of Secretaries headed by the Chief Secretary. Discussions involving senior officers of the Finance and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Departments were held from time to time but despite lapse of almost six months the proposal about providing life insurance cover to the Panchayati Raj Representatives has not become reality and six months was sufficient period to arrive at conclusion about initiating this step, which will instil sense of security among the representatives of these grass root level democratic institutions.
Much to their disappointment, a proposal about providing life insurance cover to the thousands of Panchayati Raj Representatives in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has failed to become reality even after the lapse of several months. This is notwithstanding the fact that such a step on the part of the Government would instil sense of security among the Sarpanches and Panches especially after the recent barbaric killing of a Sarpanch by the terrorists in the Kashmir valley. It is imperative to boost the morale of the elected representatives of the people at the grass root level, who otherwise are once again in the grip of fear because of recent killing of a Sarpanch. Union Home Minister had conveyed to the delegation that he doesn't want families of Panchayati Raj Representatives to fend for themselves in case of any mis-happening as such life insurance cover will be granted shortly. If it becomes a reality, it will be for the first time in the country that Panchayati Raj Representatives will get life insurance cover if the proposal is cleared by the Administrative Council and the Government owes a lot to these representatives of grass root level democratic institutions as they have already been entrusted with numerous responsibilities for changing the developmental profile of the rural areas by way of devolving of funds, functions and functionaries of different departments.

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