Ishtiyaq Kar
Srinagar Jan 20 (KINS): Jammu and Kashmir Government would recommend dates to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for convening the budget session of the Legislature in 2nd week of February.
Official sources indicate that the session will include the Lieutenant Governor’s address and the presentation of the annual budget by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Finance portfolio.
A source told news gathering agency KINS that Cabinet also finalized the proposed dates in a meeting on
Monday and the same will be forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor for approval.
Once approved, Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather will issue the session calendar. The budget session is being scheduled strategically to allow adequate time for the UT Government to analyze budgetary allocations for J&K in the Union budget, which is to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.
Sources also revealed that the budget of the J&K Police, now overseen by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, will feature in the Central budget. “The budget session is being aligned to ensure Legislature approval for all proposals before March 31,” an official said.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to finalize new
Rules for the Assembly, as J&K has transitioned from a State to a Union Territory under the J&K Reorganization Act, 2019. A Committee formed by the Speaker has held two meetings this month to draft new rules, which will be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. Until these are finalized, the Assembly will operate under the existing rules.
This marks the first budget session since 2018, when Dr. Haseeb Drabu presented the last State budget of Rs 80,313 crore. After the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government and the subsequent dissolution of the Assembly in November 2018, the budget was managed by the State Administrative Council and later the Parliament.
In July 2024, the Union budget allocated Rs 1,18,728 crore for J&K for the ongoing financial year, with an interim Vote-on-Account passed earlier in February due to the Lok Sabha elections. (KINS)
J&K Govt likely to propose budget session in 2nd week of February
