District Kishtwar · Jammu & Kashmir

Block Kishtwar

Community Development Block Profile

Gram Panchayats · Saffron Heritage · Rural Development · Panchayati Raj

CD Blocks in District

Halqa Panchayats

Gram Panchayats

6 km

Pochal from Kishtwar Town

3-tier

Panchayati Raj System

“Block Kishtwar is not just an administrative unit — it is the rural heartland of the ‘Land of Saffron and Sapphire’, where centuries-old saffron traditions meet modern Panchayati Raj governance.”

— mykishtwar.com Editorial

Introduction to Block Kishtwar

Block Kishtwar is one of the thirteen Community Development (CD) Blocks of District Kishtwar in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It serves as a vital administrative and developmental unit under the Panchayati Raj system, playing a central role in implementing government welfare schemes and rural development programmes in the villages surrounding Kishtwar town.

As the block functioning closest to the district headquarters, Block Kishtwar acts as an intermediate level of governance linking grassroots Gram Panchayats directly with district authorities — translating policy into on-ground action for its rural communities.

📌 Did You Know?

Kishtwar’s existence as a settlement traces back to the Mahabharata era, when it was known as Lohit Mandal — meaning “the land of Saffron.” The Pochal village in Block Kishtwar has been cultivating saffron for thousands of years, making it one of the very few places outside Pampore, Kashmir, capable of yielding world-class saffron.

Geographical Location & Boundaries

Block Kishtwar is situated in the central part of District Kishtwar within Kishtwar Tehsil. Nestled in the mountainous Chenab Valley, the block is characterised by rugged terrain, dense forests, terraced agricultural lands, and scattered rural settlements. Its proximity to Kishtwar town — the district headquarters — lends it strategic administrative importance.

Direction	Adjoining Area
🧭 North	Hilly areas adjoining other rural blocks of Kishtwar District
🧭 South	Rural settlements towards Drabshalla and surrounding areas
🧭 East	Mountainous regions and villages extending towards Paddar
🧭 West	Villages connected with Nagseni and adjoining areas

Administrative Framework

Community Development Blocks act as the vital link between rural residents and the district administration. Block Kishtwar is organised into hierarchical local governance tiers designed to decentralise authority and ensure accountable rural governance.

Three-Tier Panchayati Raj Structure

🏛 Zila Parishad

District-level body — sets overall development agenda for Kishtwar

🏢 Block / Panchayat Samiti

Block Kishtwar — intermediate tier headed by the Block Development Officer (BDO)

🌾 Gram Panchayats

Village-level institutions with elected representatives — 19 Halqa Panchayats in this block

Gram Panchayats & Villages of Block Kishtwar

Block Kishtwar comprises 12 Gram Panchayats and is sub-divided into 19 Halqa Panchayats, which are further broken down into individual Panch Constituencies. These grassroots institutions are responsible for local governance, implementation of development schemes, and addressing village-level concerns.

Pochhal-A-I

Pochhal-A-II

Pochhal-B-I

Pochhal-B-II

Lach Dayaram-A

Lach Dayaram-B

B-Town-I (BT-I)

B-Town-II (BT-II)

Lachkhazana

Matta-A

Matta-B

Hidyal

Panch Constituencies – Detailed Ward List

Below is the complete ward-level breakdown of all Halqa Panchayats within Block Kishtwar, showing individual Panch Constituencies, the localities they cover, and their reservation status.

📍 Bairoon Town – I (BT-I)

Ward No.	Panch Constituency	Area / Locality	Reservation
I	Panditgam-A	Panditgam (partial)	Women
II	Panditgam-B	Panditgam (partial)	—
III	Zawar	Zewar village (complete)	—
IV	Wazagwari	Wazagwari, Semna	Women
V	Tonggwari	Tangwarai / Nagder / Hamal Mohalla	—
VI	Semna	Semna Zarger / Thathar Mohalla	—

📍 Bairoon Town – II (BT-II)

Ward No.	Panch Constituency	Area / Locality	Reservation
I	BT-II-A	Dewaru / Khalan	Women
II	BT-II-B	Kotwal Mohalla / Lanyal	Women
III	BT-II-C	Proper Lanyal	—
IV	BT-II-D	Mailan proper	—
V	BT-II-E	Lower Malin / Hasti	—
VI	BT-II-F	Shalimar / Wazir / Goswami / Gowari	—

📍 Hadyal

Ward No.	Constituency	Area / Locality	Reservation
I	Hadyal-A	Thaker Basti / Gol Kundal	Women
II	Hadyal-B	Harijan Basti (H/O Ashok to Saroop)	SC
III	Hadyal-C	Thaker Basti (H/O Masood to H/O Ashok)	—
IV	Hadyal-D	Bemarnag / Drab / Munshi Gowari	Women
V	Hadyal-E	Hudri Chobdar Basti	—
VI	Hadyal-F	H/O Saroop to Kamal Gauri Tund	—
VII	Hadyal-G	Nagni / Trakguri	Women
VIII	Hadyal-H	Sayed Khar / Cher / Banger Gowari Tandal	—

📍 Lach Dayaram – A

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Huller-A	Bagwan / Karth Mohalla	Women
II	Huller-B	Beig / Giri / Kinth / Begwan Mohalla	—
III	Huller-C	Rather / Lone / Beig / Mochi / Mashid Mohalla	—
IV	Huller-D	Khan / Mir / Lone Mohalla	Women
V	Pohi Kalan	Pohi Kalan (complete)	—
VI	Hanjola	Hanjola (complete)	—

📍 Lach Dayaram – B

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Badrna-A	Banderna / Sheikh Mohalla	Women
II	Badrna-B	Sheikh / Mochi Mohalla	—
III	Pohi Khurd-A	Zirath Mohalla	—
IV	Pohi Khurd-B	Mahid Mohalla	Women
V	Zellna-A	Sen / SC Basti	—
VI	Zellna-B	Sen Basti	—

📍 Lachkhazana

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Lachkhazana-A	Upper Kuleed (partial)	Women
II	Lachkhazana-B	Upper Kuleed (partial)	—
III	Lachkhazana-C	Bun Kuleed (partial)	SC
IV	Lachkhazana-D	Bun Kuleed (partial)	SC Women
V	Lachkhazana-E	Wasser (partial)	—
VI	Lachkhazana-F	Wasser (partial)	—
VII	Lachkhazana-G	Inder Nager	Women
VIII	Lachkhazana-H	Bral Gam	—

📍 Matta – A

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Matta-A	H/O Gh. Moh. to H/O Pardeep Kumar	Women
II	Matta-B	H/O Sheikh Kumar to H/O Mehraj Singh	—
III	Matta-C	H/O Kanta Devi to H/O Bashir Ahmed	—
IV	Matta-D	H/O Jagdish Raj to H/O Soba Ram	Women
V	Matta-E	H/O Mehraj to H/O Sangeela	—
VI	Matta-F	Behra village (complete)	—

📍 Matta – B

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Matta-B-I	H/O Vidya Devi to H/O Barat Bhushan (U/Bhata)	Women
II	Matta-B-II	H/O Shiv Lal to H/O Trilok Nath (L/Bhata)	—
III	Matta-B-III	H/O Mulk Raj to H/O Gh. Ali Sarkoot	—
IV	Matta-B-IV	H/O Mohan Lal to H/O Ashok Kumar (U/Bagana)	SC Women
V	Matta-B-V	H/O Jagdish Raj to H/O Ramesh Kumar	SC
VI	Matta-B-VI	Gori Shanker Moh. (H/O Swami Raj / Draba)	—

📍 Pochal – A1

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Kundhali	Giri / SC Basti / Bindraban	Women
II	Braman Mohalla-A	Brahaman Mohalla old/new (U/Pochhal)	—
III	Braman Mohalla-B	Brahamin Mohalla new (U/Pochhal)	—
IV	Hatta-A	Lone / Hajam Mohalla / SC Basti	SC
V	Hatta-B	Kumar / Brahaman Mohalla / SC Basti	—
VI	SC Basti	SC Basti / New Colony (Upper Pochhal)	Women

📍 Pochal – A2

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Machgadhi	Machgadhi / Narangadi / Arsi	Women
II	Seran	Seeran Butt / Kichloo Moh / Bir Mandir / SC Basti	—
III	Harijan Basti	SC Basti / Pochhal old	SC
IV	Thaniwalgam	Thaniwalgam / Giri / Kumar Basti / L-Pochhal	Women
V	Maligam	Maligam / SC Basti	—
VI	Giri Mohalla	Giri / Kichloo Mohalla Upper	—

📍 Pochal – B1

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Sangrambhatta-A	Upper Sheikh / Pandit Mohalla	Women
II	Sangrambhatta-B	Lower Sheikh Pora / Gargh Bhag	—
III	Sangrambhatta-C	Butt Mohalla / Pandit Gam	—
IV	Dugga	Dugga (complete)	Women
V	Berwar	Berwar / Lower Hajialla / Butt Mohalla	—
VI	Sangram Bhatta-D	Harijan Basti / Gowaris	—

📍 Pochal – B2

Ward	Constituency	Locality	Reservation
I	Kundhali	Khundail / Begapora Cherhar	Women
II	Kamalpora	Kamalpora	—
III	Berwar Lower	Berwar Lower / Giri Mohalla	—
IV	Malik Pora	Malikpura Cherhar	Women
V	Lone Pora	Lonepora Cherhar	—
VI	Banjwar	Banjwar Upper / Lower	—

Pochal — The Saffron Heart of Block Kishtwar

Among all the Gram Panchayats in Block Kishtwar, Pochal occupies a uniquely important place. Situated about 6 km from the main town, Pochal is one of the primary attractions of Kishtwar owing to its celebrated saffron cultivation. The saffron flowers reach full bloom in October and November each year, and the tradition of saffron growing in Kishtwar dates back to the Mahabharata era.

Early in the morning, women, men, and children in colourful attires head to the saffron fields for plucking flowers — preferably before sunrise, as the red carpels separate from the petals once the sun rises, causing inconvenience in handling. For the comfort of visitors, the Kishtwar Development Authority has constructed a rest house at Pochal.

The picnic spot of Bharnoin, below Pochal village and just 3 kilometres from Kishtwar town, is well known for its captivating beauty. The area is forested with deodar and kale trees, and the roar of the Chenab River can be heard from the slopes. Adjacent to it is the beautiful forest patch of Bindraban.

🌸 Pochal Saffron — Key Facts

Distance from Town

~6 km

Bloom Season

Oct – Nov

Heritage

Since Mahabharata Era

Harvesting

Before sunrise

Rural Economy of Block Kishtwar

The economic backbone of Block Kishtwar is predominantly agrarian, shaped by the plateau topography and alpine climate of the Chenab Valley.

Economic Sector	Key Activities
Cash Crop Farming	Saffron cultivation (Pochal, Matta) — world-class quality grown at high altitude
Subsistence Agriculture	Terrace farming of Maize, Wheat, Paddy, Pulses, Vegetables
Horticulture	Walnut, Apple, Apricot and other temperate fruits
Livestock Rearing	Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Poultry — critical buffer income in winter months
Forest-Based Livelihoods	Fodder, Fuel wood, Minor forest produce, Seasonal grazing

Key Government Schemes in Block Kishtwar

The BDO office of Block Kishtwar coordinates the implementation of several major centrally-sponsored and Union Territory schemes, directly benefiting rural households across all 12 Gram Panchayats.

Scheme	Focus in Block Kishtwar
MGNREGS	Guaranteed wage employment; construction of rural assets — irrigation canals, micro-dams, link roads
PMAY-G	Housing assistance to transition economically weaker families to permanent, durable structures
Jal Jeevan Mission	Safe drinking water supply to every rural household; grey-water management systems
Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin)	Promotion of sanitation, cleanliness, and individual household toilet construction
NRLM	Self-help groups, rural entrepreneurship and livelihood promotion
Agricultural Schemes	Quality seeds distribution, farmer training programmes, modern farming technique promotion

ℹ️ MGNREGA in Action

The district administration has been actively inspecting MGNREGA work sites across blocks in Kishtwar, emphasising timely completion and quality assurance. The BDO is directed to ensure physical completion of all projected works within each financial year, while also verifying attendance genuineness and work quality at every site.

Social Infrastructure & Connectivity

Block Kishtwar has witnessed considerable improvements in social infrastructure, education, healthcare, and road connectivity in recent years.

🎓 Education

Government primary schools, middle schools, secondary institutions, and Anganwadi centres are spread across Gram Panchayats to support early childhood education and literacy.

🏥 Healthcare

Primary health institutions and sub-centres provide immunisation programmes, maternal and child healthcare across rural settlements.

🛣️ Connectivity

All-weather link roads, culverts, and footpaths connect remote agrarian hamlets to Kishtwar town’s markets, offices, and healthcare facilities.

Future Prospects & Development Potential

Block Kishtwar possesses substantial potential for sustainable rural development. Key opportunities include:

Fertile agricultural lands ideal for high-value crops including saffron
Favourable alpine climate for temperate fruit and horticultural expansion
Rich forest resources for eco-tourism and sustainable livelihoods
Improving road connectivity linking the block to Kishtwar’s main markets
Growing educational infrastructure and skill development initiatives
Rising scope for rural tourism — Pochal saffron fields, Bharnoin picnic spot, Bindraban forest
Strengthened Panchayati Raj institutions enabling participatory rural governance

Kishtwar Block : The Ultimate Profile & 3-Tier Data Guide