*Cabinet frames Sub-Committee to assess post-flood situation
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 2: Putting at rest all the speculations, the People’s Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party Government today decided to present Budget for the financial year 2015-16 instead of seeking Vote on Account and session of State Legislature in this regard would be convened from March 18. All the newly elected Members of Legislative Assembly would be administered oath on March 17 for which National Conference MLA, Mohd Shafi Uri would be appointed as Pro-tem Speaker.
These decisions were taken in the first-ever Cabinet meeting of newly formed PDP-BJP Government held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, at Civil Secretariat here this morning.
Sources told EXCELSIOR that during the Cabinet meeting, deliberations were held on the options of presenting full Budget for next financial year and seeking Vote on Account, which otherwise are required to be passed before March 31 to avert any financial crisis in the State.
After weighing both the options, the Cabinet decided to go in for Budget instead of Vote on Account and directions were issued to the Finance and Planning Departments to gear up necessary exercise in this regard, which was initiated on the directions of the Governor, N N Vohra, sources informed.
It was decided to advise the Governor to summon and address the Joint Session of State Legislature on March 18 at 11.30 am and fix the same date for election of the Speaker at 10 am. It was further decided that Finance Minister will present Budget on March 22 (Sunday) so that the same is passed on March 31. Even the grants of different departments would be passed before March 31 and other Legislative Business like Private Members Bills and Resolutions would be taken up from April 1, 2015.
The Cabinet also decided to advise the Governor to call upon the elected members of Legislative Assembly to make and subscribe oath on March 17 and to appoint National Conference Legislator Mohammd Shafi Uri as Pro-tem Speaker to discharge the functions of the Speaker till the election of the Speaker is held.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pro-tem Speaker is mainly an operating and temporary Speaker and appointed for a limited period. Generally, in such a condition when the Legislative Assembly has been elected but the vote for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker has not taken place, the Pro-tem Speaker is chosen so that he can carry on the activities till the permanent Speaker is chosen.
According to the sources, the Cabinet also reviewed the situation prevailing due to swine flu in Jammu and Kashmir and the availability of medicines, protective kits and testing facilities.
Taking serious view of the non-availability of testing facilities for H1N1 in Jammu, the Cabinet ordered immediate establishment of such a facility at Government Medical College, Jammu. The provision of Rs 6.30 crore for the establishment of an H1N1 testing laboratory at GMC, Jammu out of the current year’s Annual Plan was ordered with immediate effect.
The Cabinet decided to start a second H1N1 testing facility at Chest Disease Hospital, Srinagar for which the necessary equipment and regents are being procured on a war footing. Funds required for the purpose will also be provided to the Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar from the State Plan immediately.
The Cabinet took stock of the relief and rehabilitation effort mounted by the State Government in the wake of the devastating floods of September, 2014.
The Cabinet decided to constitute Sub-Committee under the Minister incharge of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department that will visit the affected areas in central, north and south Kashmir and the worst affected areas in Jammu division to assess the immediate long term needs of the affected population. The Committee has also been asked to interact with the organizations / associations of the affected traders, whose concerns need to be addressed immediately.
The other members of the committee include Lal Singh, Haseeb A Drabu, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari and Imran Raza Ansari.
The Cabinet also reviewed the weather situation across the State and the impact of the bad weather on public services, issuing instructions for the immediate restoration of all the affected services, including roads, power supply, the availability of drinking water and communications.
The Cabinet asked the Chief Secretary to ensure deployment of all available resources by way of men and machinery for the immediate snow clearance on all roads by issuing necessary directions in this regard to the Public Works Department, the Divisional Commissioners and all the Deputy Commissioners.
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