Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 17: The PDP-BJP Government today created a history by convening longest ever 52 days long budget session of the Assembly with 36 sittings in which the Government will present its second annual general budget on January 22. The Government has reserved highest number of 20 days for debate on all Government Departments before passing their budget.
Official sources confirmed to the Excelsior that this is for the first time in recent history that budget session of the Assembly would last 52 days and have 36 sittings. During the current year, the budget session had just 16 sittings and had lasted 22 days.
Starting January 18 with Governor’s Address to both Houses of Legislature, the session will last till March 9.
Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu will present annual general budget of the State for 2016-17 on January 22. This will be his second budget. He had presented first budget for 2015-16 on March 22 i.e. within 22 days of the takeover of PDP-BJP coalition Government on March 1.
Pointing out that even the full budget session used to have maximum 26 sittings, sources said, the PDP-BJP Government headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wants to shun the label of J&K having minimum number of sittings of the Legislature as compared to Parliament and other State Assemblies by going in for longest ever budget session in the recent past.
The Government will follow the trend when it proposed to hold another longest ever summer session in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, in August, which could last a month with at least 20 sittings next year as against 7 sittings session in Srinagar in October this year.
After Governor’s Address to joint session of the Legislature at 11 am on January 18, the Assembly will hold discussion on the Address for three consecutive days on January 19, 20 and 21. The Chief Minister will reply to the discussion on January 21.
Drabu will present the budget on January 22, which will be debated by the Assembly on January 25, 27 and 28. He will reply to the debate on January 28.
After reply by the Finance Minister on the budget, the Assembly will debate demands of different departments for next 20 sittings. There are 20 Cabinet Ministers in the State including the Chief Minister and each one of them will get a day for discussion on their departments followed by reply by the concerned Minister.
The discussion on the departments (Demands for Grants) will start on January 29 and continue till February 26 with weekends and other holidays.
The budget has been listed for passing in the form of Appropriation bills on February 27.
Three days February 29, March 2 and 9 have been reserved for the Government business while private member’s Resolutions will be taken up for two days on March 1 and 3. The private member’s bills have been listed for two days on March 4 and 8.
Excelsior had exclusively reported recently that advance budget session of the Legislature will be longest ever in the recent past both in terms of duration and sittings and could last up to March 10 as the Government had decided to have longest ever budget and summer sessions next year to take the sittings to at least 50.
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had already urged the Law and Parliament Affairs Ministry and the Presiding Officers of both the Houses to debate budget of every Department for one full day to do justice with the Departments and the legislators and give enough time to the Ministers to respond.
During current year of 2015, the first of PDP-BJP coalition Government, 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.
This 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.
However, the Government will 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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