Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 8: The Parliamentary Affairs Ministry of Jammu and Kashmir Government has proposed full budget session of the State Legislature from January 2 and ruled out pruning the session, which had been proposed earlier by clubbing grants of some major Departments.
“It will be a full budget session and not the pruned one. We have proposed January 2 as the date for start of the session with Governor NN Vohra’s Address to Joint Session of the Legislature,” official sources told the Excelsior.
They said following approval from the Cabinet Ministers through circulation, the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry would send the proposal to the Governor for issuing summons to call the Legislature on January 2 for his Joint Address followed by convening of both the Assembly and the Council separately.
“There can be a slight change in start of the session by day or two as the Governor was yet to issue the summons. However, in any case, the Legislature session has to be called before January 7 to meet the Constitutional deadline,” sources said.
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 has 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.
Initially, there was a Government proposal that Demands for Grants of some of the Departments could be clubbed that would have reduced sittings of the budget session. However, such a proposal hasn’t been formally implemented so far and sources in the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry confirmed that it would be a full budget session.
Sources said each MLA is being asked to submit 20 questions for the budget session-10 each in Starred and Un-starred categories. In addition, the members of the Legislative Assembly can also submit Private Member’s Bills and Private Member’s Resolutions. The Assembly would reserve two days each for discussion and debate and, if permitted by the House, passing of private bills and resolutions. Two days will be reserved separately for the Government business.
According to sources, budget session of the Legislature could have 26 to 28 sittings and might last till first week of February.
This will be fourth budget session of the PDP-BJP Government in which Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu would present his fourth budget in succession. First budget session of the PDP-BJP Government was held in Jammu in March 2015 i.e. within days of the taking over of rein of affairs by then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on March 1, 2015. Second budget session of the Government was proposed in January 2016 but it had to be deferred due to sudden demise of Mufti Sayeed followed by time taken by Mehbooba Mufti to form new Government. Budget session of 2016 was held in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, in June.
This year’s budget session was held in January in Jammu and next year’s budget would also be held in the same month here, thus, making it second winter budget session of the Government in a row.
Sources said the Assembly and Council Secretariats would set the budget session process into motion by issuing calendars once the Governor formally issues summons for the Legislature.
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