Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 6: Illness of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed notwithstanding, the Government today made its intentions clear to go ahead with budget session of the Legislature as it released business schedule for the session in the Assembly, which was due to start on January 18 with Governor NN Vohra’s Address to joint session of the Legislature followed by presentation of annual budget on January 22.
However, as reported exclusively by the Excelsior earlier, the Government has decided to reduce duration of the budget session from 52 days and 36 sittings to a “reasonable period’’ so that working of the Government didn’t suffer.
“As of now, there is absolutely no change in the budget session and it will start from January 18,’’ Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta told the Excelsior but said they would reduce duration of the session.
“With expiry of deadline for submission of questions, private member’s resolutions and private member’s bills on December 31 and January 4 respectively, the Assembly has received 1169 questions, 86 private member’s resolutions and 17 private member’s bills,’’ Gupta said.
Sources said the Cabinet in its last meeting on December 2 had decided to call budget session of the Legislature from January 18 after which the Assembly Secretariat had issued 52 days long calendar for the budget with record 36 sittings.
“The decision as on date stands and we are going ahead with preparations for the budget session,’’ they said, adding that Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu was also engaged in preparations for the budget.
As per the provisional calendar for budget session issued by the Speaker, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was scheduled to reply to debate on Motion of Thanks to Governor’s Address on January 21. However, this remained the cause of worry for the Government as to whether Sayeed would be fit to reply to the debate on Governor’s Address keeping in view his present condition.
But, according to experts, there was a provision for reply to the debate on Governor’s Address by any senior Minister if the Chief Minister couldn’t make it to the Assembly due to illness. At the same time, sources admitted that the Government was keeping its fingers crossed and could change its decision on the Assembly session if the situation so warranted.
According to official figures released by the Speaker, a total of 63 MLAs have submitted 1169 questions for budget session of the Assembly, which included 624 starred and 545 un-starred questions.
While starred questions are debated during Question Hour of the Assembly and any MLA can raise supplementary to the question with permission of the Speaker, the MLAs get only written reply to the un-starred questions.
In addition to questions, the Assembly Secretariat has received 86 private member’s resolutions and 17 private member’s bills from the MLAs.
The MLAs were entitled to submit 20 questions each—10 in starred category and 10 in un-starred category. Only MLAs can submit the questions, resolutions and bills while those holding official positions like Ministers, Presiding Officers (Speaker and Deputy Speaker) and the MLAs having rank of the Minister in different capacities can’t ask the questions.
Twenty-three MLAs are members in the Council of Ministry, which has strength of 25. Two other Ministers (Naeem Akhter and Chering Dorjey) are members of the Upper House. Besides, two members of the Assembly are Presiding Officers including Speaker Kavinder Gupta and Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi.
According to sources, the Government has already taken the view point of Ministers, officials and even some legislators, who didn’t want such a lengthy session and accordingly called meeting of the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister with Presiding Officers including Legislative Council Chairman Haji Inayat Ali, Speaker Kavinder Gupta, Deputy Chairman Jehangir Mir and Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, the Law Secretary and the Secretaries of Assembly and Council among others to cut short the budget session.
Sources said the Assembly might cut down at least 10 sittings, thus, reducing number of the sittings from 36 to 26 or even less. This will also reduce duration of the session from 52 to around 35 or 37 days.
Sources added that the Legislative Assembly would issue the revised calendar only after the meeting in which a decision would be taken on reduction of number of days and sittings of budget session of the Legislature.
The Council will issue the calendar only after the Assembly comes out with revised calendar. The Upper House hadn’t issued the calendar after learning that the Government was having second thought on such a lengthy session.
During year 2015, the first of PDP-BJP coalition Government headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Legislature had just 23 sittings as against 100 recommended by a Parliamentary Standing Committee and unanimity at a conference of the Presiding Officers that the State Assemblies must have 50 to 70 sittings in a year to give legislators all possible opportunities to raise the issues of public.
Last year, the budget session in March-April in Jammu, the winter capital of the State, had 16 sittings while autumn session in October in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State had 7 sittings only, totaling 23, which were perhaps lowest as compared to other Assemblies in the country.
According to sources, previous budget sessions in the State used to have maximum 25 to 26 sittings.
As reported, the Government also proposed to convert autumn session of the Legislature into summer session in August, 2016, which is held in Srinagar, and was likely to have minimum of 20 sittings as against seven this year. However, reduction in budget session tenure could also have its echo on the summer session in August and possibility of that session’s duration also being reduced is not ruled out.
The Government had already decided to stick to two sessions a year practice and won’t go for third session as is the practice in Parliament and many other State Assemblies, sources said.
The Parliament and other Assemblies generally have three sessions including Budget, Monsoon and Winter sessions. However, Jammu and Kashmir skips the winter session.
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