Srinagar July 18:  The Administrative Council (AC), which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor, G C Murmu, approved life insurance cover of Rs. 25 lakhs to all elected BDC Chairmen, Sarpanches,  Panches and all elected members of Municipal Bodies of Jammu and Kashmir in case of death due to a militancy related incident.

The decision aims at strengthening grass roots democracy by providing a sense of security to the elected members of local bodies who are under constant threat from terrorists and militants, the government stated

“The life insurance cover will act as a guarantee for the subsistence of the family members of the elected representatives who die in militancy related incidents. It will ensure that their families do not face economic distress and poverty in case of any untoward incident and continue to fulfil basic needs of nutrition, education and health in adverse circumstances,” the government added.