Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 20: General budget of Jammu and Kashmir along with separate power budget for the financial year 2017-18 would be presented by the PDP-BJP Government in the State Legislature on January 9, exactly a week after start of the budget session of the Legislature on January 2 with Governor NN Vohra’s address to joint session of the Legislature.
The Legislative Assembly today issued a provisional calendar for the budget session following approval by Speaker Kavinder Gupta in consultations with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri and Law Minister Abdul Haq Khan.
Starting with Governor’s address on January 2, the budget session will conclude on February 4 with the Government business i.e. the approval of the House to Government bills. There will be four-day break in the Assembly from January 5 to 8.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the budget session would last 34 days and have 24 sittings. The Assembly would sit for double sittings on 17 days.
The Central Government will present its general budget on February 1 in the Parliament.
This will be third consecutive budget of PDP-BJP coalition Government that will be presented by Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu in the Legislative Assembly on January 9. He had presented his first budget in March, 2015 for the year 2015-16 and the second budget in June, 2016 for the year 2016-17. The first budget was presented in Jammu and the second in Srinagar.
As per the provisional calendar, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will reply to debate on Motion of Thanks to Governor’s Address on January 4 (in the afternoon). While the Governor will address joint session of the Legislature on January 2, the Assembly will debate the address on January 3 and 4. Late in the afternoon of January 4, Mehbooba will reply to the debate, which will be her second reply to the Governor’s address, the first being in budget session this year in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, in June. She had taken over as the Chief Minister of the State on April 4 this year.
Sources said the Government will again present separate power budget for the year 2017-18 following the trend set by its first budget in March 2015. Prior to this, the practice for presentation of separate power budget was started during the tenure of Ghulam Nabi Azad as the Chief Minister.
Sources pointed out that the Finance Minister has already set in motion the process for inter-action with various stakeholders including the industry, trade and commerce representatives to elicit their opinion on the budget. The exercise for holding budgetary meetings by the Administrative Secretaries of Planning and Monitoring Development Department and Finance Department with all the Departments to ascertain their requirements has already been completed.
Out of 24 sittings in 34 days long budget session, 17 days would have double sittings. The debate on Motion of Thanks to Governor’s address would last two days in double sittings on January 3 and 4 followed by the Chief Minister’s reply in the afternoon of January 4. Similarly, debate on budget would also be held in double sittings for two days on January 10 and 11 followed by the Finance Minister’s reply in the afternoon of January 11.
Thirteen days with double sittings from January 12-27 with off-days on January 13, 15, 22, 25 and 26 have been reserved for discussion and passing of budget of various Ministries followed by approval to Appropriation Bill including budget for 2017-18 and supplementary grants for 2016-17 on January 28.
Two days each in the budget session have been fixed for Government business i.e. presentation and passing of bills, private member’s bill and resolutions.
The Government business has been fixed for January 30 and February 4. Private member’s bills will be taken up on February 1 and 3 while private member’s resolutions were scheduled for January 31 and February 2.
With Government preparing for holding Panchayat polls from March end to May start, the Election Department could announce the election schedule by February end.
The Government has advanced the budget session to January, like the last year, to ensure that extreme winter period is utilized for the Legislature while developmental works can be taken up as the weather opens up by February end.
This year also, the PDP-BJP Government had called budget session on January 18 but due to sudden demise of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7, the session was postponed. As the PDP-BJP delayed formation of the Government, which finally happened on April 4, the budget session was held in Srinagar in June this year.
The budget session had to be called on January 2 to meet with Constitutional requirement of holding the Legislature session within six months. The previous budget session in Srinagar had concluded on July 2. However, no autumn session was held at Srinagar in September-October in view of unrest in the Kashmir valley and the Government straightway went with budget session from January 2.
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