"The state government has postponed the Block Development Council elections to incorporate the laws necessary for the real empowerment of panchyats, besides making a provision for extending reservation to women and other weaker sections of the society," Azad said while adding that the elections without reservations would have been meaningless.
He said this while addressing 'Shaheedi Divas Samaroh' organised by Dogra Sadar Sabha to pay tributes to the martyrs of Kargil War and the soldiers killed while fighting militancy in Bishnah area of Samba district.
"The panches and sarpanches elected in Jammu and Kashmir should enjoy the same powers as their counterparts in the rest of the country," Azad said while addressing the gathering.
The Health Minister also announced that the government hospital in Bishnah would be upgraded with additional beds and improved medical facilities.
Paying rich tributes to soldiers, Azad said several men of the army, BSF and other belt force personnel had sacrificed their lives to fight militancy in the state.
The event was also attended by Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and J&K Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand.
