Jammu, Oct 16: All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) Sunday welcomed the pro-people decision of Union Home Ministry to authorize Block Development Officers (BDOs) for issuing death and birth certificates to the people residing in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The AJKPC—the frontline organization of elected PRI members in the Union Territory—described it as “a move to bring public delivery at the doorsteps of the people.”
“We whole-heartedly welcome the decision of the Union Home Ministry, headed by Amit Shah, for bringing a major change in issuing birth and death certificates in rural areas of the Jammu and Kashmir. Till now, these certificates were being issued by the concerned head of concerned police station where the people used to face inconvenience,” Anil Sharma, UT president of AJKPC said while addressing large gathering of elected PRI members in Udhampur and Ramban during his three-day-long tour to these districts.
Sharma said the major changes introduced in the Registration process is that the BDOs have been designated as the Registrars in rural areas instead of Station House Officers (SHOs) of the concerned Police Stations.
“The decision will come into effect from January 1 next year. It had been a long pending demand of the AJKPC and we had submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister in the past. The Union Home Ministry has always responded to our genuine demands positively. The decision will further strengthen the public delivery in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir,” the AJKPC leader said.
Sharma urged the elected PRI members to play the role of a bridge between Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department, and common masses while extending the public delivery.
Meanwhile, Sharma while conducting an extensive tour of Udhampur and Ramban districts held meetings with PRI members at Chenani and KunfurPanchayat in Chanderkote and listened to the various issues confronting Panches and Sarpanches.
