Ishtiyaq Kar
Jammu, Feb 10 (KINS): The Business Rules Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is set to hold its fourth meeting tomorrow in Jammu, to deliberate and likely to finalize on the revised draft rules circulated among its members.
The meeting comes in the wake of suggestions from several members to simplify the initial draft.
MLA Saifullah Mir, a member from the ruling party National Conference, confirmed his participation in the meeting. “I will be attending tomorrow’s session,” he told news agency KINS.
In the previous meeting, some members emphasized the need for a more concise version of the draft rules, urging the Assembly Secretariat to streamline the document for easier comprehension and feedback. The Speaker, according to sources, acknowledged these concerns and agreed to circulate a simplified version within three to four days, setting the stage for tomorrow’s discussions.
Subject to majority consensus, the revised rules are anticipated to be adopted by the Committee and subsequently submitted to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval. If all goes as planned, the new rules are expected to be implemented before the budget session of the Legislature, scheduled to commence on March 3.
Sources indicate that the draft rules have been meticulously prepared in alignment with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.
The rules comprehensively address procedures for Question Hour, government business including bills, private member’s bills and resolutions, Call Attention Notices, and other legislative activities. They also detail the timelines for discussions on the Motion of Thanks following the Lieutenant Governor’s address and the presentation and debate of the budget.
As stipulated by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, the Assembly has been operating under the previous state rules until new business rules are officially adopted.
The necessity to draft new rules arose after Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 was revoked, and the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The Rules Committee is headed by Assembly Speaker Rahim along with members such as Mubarak Gul, ex-Speaker; Saifullah Mir, former Law Minister; Hasnain Masoodi, ex-MP and Retired High Court Judge—all from the National Conference. Other members include Pawan Kumar Gupta and Ranbir Singh Pathania from BJP, M.Y. Tarigami from CPM, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat from Congress, and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, an Independent MLA from Thannamandi. Notably, all members except the two from BJP are part of the National Conference alliance.(KINS)
