SRINAGAR: (AMN) The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to hold local bodies elections in the state in December. Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar has already asked the officials to prepare ground for the polls.
The Minister impressed upon the concerned parties to speed up the preparation process, so that these elections can be held efficiently within the shortest possible time. He hoped that holding elections would help to secure additional funds from the Centre which would go a long way in alleviating poverty and improving the socio-economic conditions of the people of rural areas of the State.
Meanwhile the state government has claimed that number of students in the schools is 
increasing gradually. According to government report sixty percent students have attended the schools across the valley after they reopened on Monday after a gap of over three.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the opening of schools was a beginning of improvement in the situation in the valley where 109 civilians have been killed in police and CRPF action in the ongoing unrest.
“It is a beginning for return of peace to the valley and I hope the situation will improve. Slowly and slowly, normalcy is returning to Valley,” the chief minister told media persons on the sidelines of a function in Jammu.
On Hurriyat (Geelani) call to students and teachers not to attend schools on strike days, the CM said, “Don’t make it an issue. Government is deeply concerned about the education losses of our students in Valley and will not allow anybody to play politics with it. I appeal media persons not to give hype to such issues.” ‘Right to education is a fundamental right of every child. So we will not let the education of our children to suffer nor we will allow their academic year to go waste at any cost,” he said.