| PRI members want security, not insurance: AJKPC | | | 
Early Times Report
R S PURA, July 21: All J&K Panchayat Conference rejected the insurance cover announced by J&K Government for elected Panchayat members of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.
Briefing media persons here today, Gurdeep Saini, General Secretary of AJKPC said that the elected Panchayat members comprising Panchs and Sarpanchs has been demanding security cover for the last so many years not the insurance cover. “We want to live we don’t want to die" he added.
Saini said that they (Panchayat members) never demanded insurance cover or any other perk instead they have always been seeking safety and security of Panchayat members of J&K. Besides, they sought empowerment of Panchayats so that they can deliver to the people, he said.
“Instead of spending crores of rupees on the insurance cover, government should allocate the aforesaid amount for the development of Panchayats,” Saini said, adding that Panchayat leaders are living in an atmosphere of fear and threats.
Saini accused the Centre and the J&K Governments of not making proper security arrangements for the safety of Panchayat Members in J&K. "We have already lost about 19 Panchayat members since 2012 and dozens were injured in various attacks but government has not taken any step to protect them," he said.
"We are not scared of threats. We are in the democratic process just to serve the masses and have nothing to do with the larger political Kashmir-issue," he said, adding terrorists would never weaken our resolve and stand for democracy.
The Panchayat Conference members appealed to the Lt Governor GC Murmu to consider their genuine demands by making security arrangements for them.
“Insurance cover is just an eye wash nothing else. Governor Sahib we want to live. Make some arrangements for our life. Our main issue is security and empowerment of PRIs not insurance,” Saini reiterated.
Among others who were present in the press conference included Tarsem Sharma, Chairperson BDC, Ashok Kumar Sarpanch, Hansraj Sarpanch, Hazara Singh Sarpanch, Surjeet Choudhary Sarpanch, Parveen Singh, Sartaj Singh, Panch Pawan Singh, Panch Somnath, Panch Pyare Lal, Gurdyal and Darshan Singh Saini. |
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