KL Report
SRINAGAR
The finance minister Haseeb Drabu Saturday reiterated that the budget being introduced this year would ‘expand the constituency of peace in the state of Jammu and Kashmir with its contents being demystified thoroughly’.
Drabu said that the state budget this time would be aimed at providing relief to the perturbed people and mitigating their sufferings. “I can only say that the budget would expand the constituency of peace. Every finance minister so far has stated that his budget was pro-people. No one can say it isn’t,” Drabu said when asked whether the budget would address the basic needs of the state at present.
Refusing to divulge further information about the relief and rehabilitation measures being taken up by the government during the coming budget session, he stated that facts will be made public only after the budget would be introduced on the floor of house.
Commenting over the pending proposal of Rs 44 thousand crores for the relief of the flood victims, submitted earlier by the state government to Government of India, the finance minister said that the deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh has already stated that the government is working to get the proposal approved. “I think when the deputy CM has made a comment over this issue, I cannot elaborate any further.”
Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir government on March 2 proposed to the Governor to summon the budget session of the state Legislature from March 18.
This will be first budget session of PDP-BJP government led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, which assumed power in the state on March 1.
The cabinet that met under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed advised the Governor to summon and address the joint session of the state Legislative Assembly on March 18. The chief minister has also advised the Governor NN Vohra to fix March 18 as the date for holding elections to the post of Assembly Speaker.
The Governor has also been advised to call upon the elected members of the Legislative Assembly to make and subscribe oath on March 17.
Meanwhile, the chief minister also advised the Governor to appoint Mohammad Shafi Uri as Pro-tem Speaker to discharge the functions of the Speaker till the election of the Speaker of the Legislative assembly was held.
