Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 16: The State Government today advanced budget session of the Legislature to present full budget instead of Vote-on-Account (VoA). The budget session would start on February 10 and last more than a month.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah approved a proposal to this effect, which had been mooted by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry on his direction.
The budget session has been advance in view of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which the Election Commission of India was likely to impose by the end of February or first week of March in view of Lok Sabha elections, which were scheduled to be held in April-May this year. Once the MCC is imposed, a State can’t present full budget as it could carry the announcements to lure electorates.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government has advance the budget session of the Legislature by 18 days from the previous year when it had started on February 28. This year it would start on February 10 and would last over a month.
Omar approved the proposal for advancement of the budget session this evening, they said, adding the Law Ministry would get approval of the Cabinet Ministers through memo by circulation before the proposal was sent to Governor NN Vohra for approval.
“Normally the Governor had to give one month notice for calling any session of the Legislature. However, in case of emergent situation, the Government can relax the rule of one month notice and summon the Legislature in short span of time. This rule has been invoked to call the budget session this year earlier to facilitate presentation of budget before the imposition of Model Code of Conduct,” sources said.
Sources said the Government could present budget in both Houses of the Legislature between February 15 and 20.
“It would be a complete budget and being the election year with both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections due this year, it would definitely have some allurements for the common man even though the resources of the State didn’t permit the Government to announce freebies like Aam Aadmi Party (AAP),” sources said but added that the Government would definitely try to make certain announcements within the available resources to appease the voters.
Generally, the Government presents budget in first week of March. However, this year, the Model Code of Conduct was likely to be imposed either by the end of February or the start of March after which the Government can’t present the budget. The Model Code of Conduct comes into force immediately after the announcement of elections.
Sources said the Government can conduct normal business of the Legislature after the Model Code of Conduct but can’t present the budget. After imposition of the Code, the Government can only take Vote-on-Account and not present the full budget. The Government would be presenting the full budget before the Code of Conduct is imposed.
The neighbouring State of Himachal Pradesh has also advanced the budget session, where Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in his capacity as Finance Minister would be presenting budget on February 7.
Sources said the Chief Minister immediately after approving the proposal for calling the budget session on February 10 directed Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather and Planning and Development Minister Ajay Sadhotra to gear up their departments for early presentation of the budget.
Though both the Departments have completed their task of holding Department wise review of next year’s budget, the Finance Minister would have to meet the stakeholders to elicit their opinion while the Planning and Finance Department officials had to seek meetings with the Planning Commission of India to know quantum of plan the State could get during next financial year for incorporating figures in the budget.
However, sources said, the Planning Commission might not be in a position to give figures to the State as the task of plan finalisation for next financial year of 2014-15 has been left to the new Government, which would take the reign of affairs by the end of May.
The Centre would be taking Vote-on-Account in February for first three months of the financial year and the task of presentation of full budget would be left to the new Government.
Sources said the budget session would begin with Governor’s Address to joint session of Legislature on February 10 and it would be the Government’s endeavour to present the budget between February 15 and 20 to ensure that it was done before imposition of the Model Code of Conduct. Generally the budget session has 25 to 27 sittings and lasts more than a month.
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