Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 13: Budget Session of the State Legislature will begin on January 2 and was likely to last over a month.
Governor N N Vohra has summoned the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council to meet at Jammu winter capital on January 2 at 11 am for his Address to Joint Session of the Legislature, official sources said.
The period of the Budget Session was yet to be decided but it would last more than a month.
“We have not yet decided the period of the Budget Session. The decision will be taken by the Government,” Speaker of Legislative Assembly, Kavinder Gupta, told the Excelsior.
The Governor has urged members of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council to assemble in the Central Hall for his address to both the Houses.
After the said address, each House of the legislature will meet as a separate body at the time to be specified by the respective presiding officers, sources said.
Excelsior had exclusively reported that the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry has proposed January 2 as the date for start of the Budget Session. Last year also, the Budget session had started on January 2.
Meanwhile, soon after the Governor issued summons for budget session of the Legislature, Secretary Legislative Assembly MR Singh called upon all members of the House to send maximum of 20 questions each—10 in starred category and 10 in un-starred category before December 20.
He also urged the members to send not more than five Private Member’s Bills and four Private Member’s Resolutions on or before December 20.
Similarly, the Legislative Council Secretary has also called upon members of the Legislative Council to send not more than 13 starred questions and seven un-starred questions for the budget session by or before December 22. He has also urged the members to send not more than two Private Member’s Bills and two Private Member’s Resolutions.
As per the Constitutional provision, the Legislature must meet once in six months. Special session of the Legislature called to approved Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Srinagar, had concluded on July 7 having just three sittings. Since no Legislature session has been held thereafter, the six month deadline is expiring on January 7. The State Government had Constitutional binding also to call the Assembly session before January 7, 2018.
Significantly, last year also, budget session of the Legislature had started on January 2 and was scheduled to adjourn on February 8. However, it was abruptly adjourned sine die on February 1 following pandemonium in the Assembly over Speaker Kavinder Gupta’s decision to expunge remarks of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu would present his fourth budget in succession within four to five days of start of the session. However, exact date of the budget presentation would be decided by the Finance Minister and, accordingly, the Speaker would issue provisional calendar for the Assembly session.
Sources have, meanwhile, confirmed that it would be a full budget session of the Legislature with 26 to 28 sittings. The session wouldn’t be pruned as was being anticipated, they added.
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