Dates for J&K panchayat elections will be out soon: Omar

Jammu, Jan 27 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the dates for the panchayat elections in the state will soon be announced.

"The date sheet for holding elections of panchayats would be out soon. Proposal for the same would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting for approval," Omar said while addressing a Rural development ministry''s function.

"I hope that establishment of panchayat system in Jammu and Kashmir would catapult development of villages and prove and effective tool to reduce corruption", he said.

He laid stress on nurturing basic units of democracy to involve public participation in decision making and monitoring of work.

The Chief Minister said panchayats would prove important means to deal with menace of corruption and help in judicious expenditures on public work.

"Administration at the secretariat level is not as aware of area specific public needs as public representatives at grass roots are, as such launch of schemes and monitoring of works by Panchayats would make the public delivery system prompt and up to the mark," he said.