Srinagar, Dec 03: Every district development council in Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory will have five standing committees to look after different subjects ranging from financial matters to development.

The amendments carried out by the Centre in Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act-1989 in October this year lay bare that every DDC will have five standing committees.

The standing committees for finance, development, public works, health and education and welfare will be constituted in each DDC to deal with different matters.

According to the amendments,  all other members, other than chairperson and vice-chairperson, shall be elected as heads of these committees.

“Every standing committee shall consist of such number of members, including its chairperson as decided by the district development council, so that all other elected members except the chairperson and vice-chairperson shall be elected as a member in any of the standing committee and the number of members elected to each standing committee shall, as far as possible, be equal,” read the amendments.

The law further states that the number of members of each standing committee as decided by the district development council shall not be changed within the term of that council.

The law, however, states that a member shall not be a member of more than one standing committee at a time except when required due to insufficient number of members of the district development council.

The vice-chairperson of district development shall be an ex-officio member and chairperson of the standing committee for finance and the chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all standing committees without the right to vote, the law states.

The law also defines mandate of these five committees comprising members of DDCs.

The standing committee for finance shall deal with the subjects like finance, accounts, audit, budget, general administration and subjects not allotted to other standing committees.

It empowers the standing committee for development to deal with the subjects like development planning, socio-economic planning, agriculture, soil conservation, animal husbandry, minor irrigation, fisheries, small scale industry, etc.

According to the law, the standing committee for public works shall deal with the subjects like public works, housing, spatial planning and environment.

It also states that the standing committee for Health and Education shall deal with subjects like public health and education.

The law further states that the standing committee for welfare shall deal with subjects like social welfare, development of women and children and development of scheduled castes and  scheduled tribes—(KNO)