Lahore: The Punjab Assembly (PA) on Tuesday passed a new local government (LG) bill that aims to empower elected representatives at the grassroots level, a news source reported.
Minister for Law and Local Government Basharat Raja moved the bill for consideration and passage by the provincial assembly during a session, which was presided over by PA Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The minister said that the bill was aimed at replacing a faulty legislation. He added that the provincial government would disburse billions of rupees to neighbourhood councils and panchayat.
The new LG structure comprises a two-tier administrative system: Panchayat at the rural level, and Neighbourhoods Councils at the lowest level of local government within urban areas.
Under the said law, the district councils would cease to exist under the rural local governments, and a Tehsil Council would replace them at each tehsil level. This will raise the number from 35 districts to 138 tehsils across the province.
Similarly, a panchayat system for each mouza (administrative districts comprising one or more settlements) would replace existing union councils; introducing 22,000 panchayat instead of 3,281 union councils.
