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| Budget session likely from Feb 10, proposal being put up before Cabinet shortly | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Jan 16: Budget session of the State legislature for the year 2014-15 is likely to start from February 10 and conclude in the first or second week of March depending upon the schedule of business.
The session would have around 24 to 27 sittings. Sources said that Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry which is headed by Mir Saifullah and the Assembly secretariat as well as council secretariat after holding consultations with General Administration Department is mulling the option of going for budget session of the legislature by February 10.
The proposal moved by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry is likely to be put before the Cabinet next week for approval. Once approved, State Government would send the proposal to Governor N.N. Vohra for issuance of notification, almost 15 days ahead of the session. Though the practice has been that notification is issued a month ahead of the session but in the wake of upcoming Lok Sabha elections, state has decided to cut short the process.
Sources said that since the Government intends to hold full budget session, legislators would be requested to send questions within 15 days, starting tentatively from January 25. Since this would be last budget session of NC-Congress coalition Government, they would like to use this opportunity to the fullest to let people know the work done by them during the last five years, added the sources.
They further said that if the session is curtailed or turned into 'vote-on-account', opposition is likely to make this an issue and accuse the Government of running away from criticism. So keeping in view the political significance of this last session, sources said that State Government is likely to go for full budget session. They said that several important legislations would be passed in this session.
Sources further disclosed that it would be a very hectic session since working of all the departments of the Government would be debated and discussed. They added that Government would take the date of budget presentation into account while taking a final call on the date of Governor's address to joint session of the legislature.
Sources further said that budget is likely to be presented in the third week of February adding that budget preparations have already been set into motion to ensure its timely completion. In the budget session, two days each would be fixed for private member's resolutions and private member's bills in addition to discussion on Governor's address to joint session of legislature followed by reply of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, budget and all departments held by various Ministers followed by their reply.
However, there is still a part of the official machinery advising the Government to take vote on account in the Assembly session in February-March 2014. Sources said that while the Government is preparing for full budget, it has kept the options open for vote-on-account. This option would also be presented by the Minister before the Cabinet and he would explain them that a full budget session would not be feasible if model code of conduct is imposed in February.
It needs to be mentioned here that in the years 2004 and 2009 also, the then Government had to take vote-on-account due to announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Election Commission had then issued specific guidelines that no State Government can present full budget in the legislature once model code of conduct is imposed as the Government can use presentation of the budget as an opportunity to make certain announcement and freebies to lure the electorates.
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