Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 8: In a decision aimed at increasing sittings of the Legislature in Jammu and Kashmir which were far less than the Parliament and other State Assemblies, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to have longest ever budget and summer sessions next year to take the sittings to at least 50.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has 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.
“In view of the Chief Minister’s keenness towards debate on all Departments and other major issues, the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry in association with Legislative Assembly and Council Presiding Officers was engaged in fixing the session in such a way that they had maximum ever sittings in history of the Legislature in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016,’’ they said.
During current year of 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.
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.
According to sources, budget session of the State, starting January 18, was likely to have at least 30 sittings, which could extend session to first week of March taking into account the holidays including Saturdays and Sundays. Previous budget sessions in the State used to have maximum 25 to 26 sittings.
Similarly, they said, the autumn session of the Legislature, was likely to be converted into summer session in August, which is held in Srinagar, and was likely to have minimum of 20 sittings as against seven this year.
“The Government intends to take minimum sittings of both the sessions to at least 50, if not more, to shun the impression that it avoids the Legislature,’’ sources said, adding that the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry and Presiding Officers of the Two Houses—Legislative Assembly and Council—have been briefed about the Government decision and asked to adjust their schedule accordingly.
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.
Legislative Assembly Speakers Kavinder Gupta, when contacted, confirmed that the upcoming budget session from January 18, which has been advanced next year by more than a month, will be longest session in history of the Legislature in the State.
“It could be around 30-sittings session as against 16 sittings this year,’’ he said, adding that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has desired that the legislators should be given full time for debate on each and every issue.
It may be mentioned here that the Chief Minister had earlier also urged the Speaker to extend Assembly timing from 10 am to 5 pm instead of 10 am to 1.30 pm.
Sources said not only the budget session will be longest in the history, the summer session in Srinagar in August next year will also be longest. As against just seven sittings of Srinagar session this year, the Assembly session in the summer capital was likely to have minimum of 20 sittings or even more with one month duration.
The extended timing in Srinagar session will be used to review the general budget and Economic Survey, which will be tabled next year in August instead of a day before budget in Jammu. This has been done to present latest year’s economic survey before the Legislature instead of previous year’s.
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