SRINAGAR: The terms of Jammu and Kashmir’s Halqa Panchayats expired in January 2024 and those of the District Development Councils (DDCs) in February 2026, while the State Election Commission is currently undertaking electoral roll revision and delimitation and reservation-related preparations for local body elections.
The Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department said the State Election Commission, J&K, is conducting the preparatory exercise, but did not provide a specific date for holding elections to the Panchayats, Block Development Councils (BDCs) and DDCs.
The details were given in response to Starred D. No. 1/6/415, tabled by Dooru MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir, regarding the status of Panchayat institutions, election preparations and funding of grassroots bodies.
The three-tier Halqa Panchayat terms ended on January 9, 2024. Block Development Officers were subsequently appointed as Administrators from January 10 for six months under S.O. 16 dated January 10, 2024.
The arrangement followed amendments to local body laws by the Government of India on February 12, 2024, which extended reservation benefits to Other Backward Classes (OBCs). A Dedicated Backward Classes Commission was constituted on June 11, 2024, to conduct an empirical inquiry into the representation of backward classes.
The tenure of the Block Development Officers as Administrators was extended for another three months from July 10, 2024, under S.O. 358.
The Dedicated Backward Classes Commission submitted its final report on February 27, 2025, through Communication No. JKLBCC/2025/565.
The terms of the DDCs subsequently expired in February 2026.
The State Election Commission issued Order No. SEC/Pyt/03/2026/607-639 on March 25, 2026, announcing the schedule for revision of Panchayat electoral rolls, with April 1, 2026, fixed as the qualifying date.
The government said the commission was currently carrying out revision of Panchayat electoral rolls along with processes linked to delimitation and reservation for local bodies.
Asked whether the department had reviewed administrative arrangements in the absence of elected Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies, particularly for identifying and prioritising development requirements, the government said the matter was under active consideration.
The reply also detailed changes in financial ceilings for grassroots institutions before and after the expiry of elected terms.
When elected Panchayati Raj Institutions were functioning following the 2018 Panchayat elections and 2020 DDC elections, approximately Rs 23 lakh per year was earmarked for each Halqa Panchayat, around Rs 25 lakh per BDC and Rs 10 crore per DDC. The latter translated to roughly Rs 71.42 lakh per DDC constituency.
The government said the direct Rs 23 lakh annual allocation for each Halqa Panchayat was reduced after the elected terms ended.
According to information provided by the Finance Department, the annual ceiling communicated for DDC and BDC grants during 2022-23 to 2024-25 was Rs 271.25 crore for all districts, while PRI grants stood at Rs 1,000 crore annually.
After the Union Territory legislature came into existence, the ceiling for 2025-26 was fixed at Rs 271.25 crore for DDC/BDC grants and Rs 715 crore for PRI grants. An additional Rs 451.25 crore was provided under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), including Rs 0.75 crore per House member for the last quarter of 2024-25.
For 2026-27, the DDC/BDC grant ceiling remains Rs 271.25 crore, while PRI grants have been capped at Rs 645.50 crore. Another Rs 380 crore has been earmarked under CDF.
On whether the earlier Rs 23 lakh Panchayat funding ceiling had been restored or revised, the government said the Budget Division had not issued any instruction or order in this regard. It said the exact position could be obtained from Expenditure Division-I.
The department also said there was no record of any PRI-, BDC- or DDC-funded work being undertaken outside the respective territorial jurisdiction of these institutions during the last three years, including in Dooru constituency.
It said grants to PRIs, BDCs and DDCs form part of the District Capex Budget and are directly released by the Finance Department to the concerned District Development Commissioner for execution of works in accordance with the approved District Capex Plan and applicable rules.
On the question of completing the remaining election-related processes within a fixed timeframe, the department said it does not have statutory authority to schedule or conduct Panchayat elections.
Under Section 36(1) of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, the superintendence, direction and control of electoral roll preparation and elections under the Act vest with the State Election Commission, J&K.
The Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department said it could provide administrative and logistical support to the commission when required and in accordance with law.
