Guv’s address, budget to be held on 1st day of U’khand assembly session

Dehradun: In a break from past practice, the Uttarakhand assembly is likely to hold Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd)'s address and the budget presentation on the opening day of the budget session, scheduled to begin on March 9.State govt has proposed a provisional schedule placing both items on the same day, though the final decision will be taken by the Business Advisory Committee. If approved, the budget will be tabled in the House on the day of the Governor's address.Parliamentary affairs minister Subodh Uniyal said the five-day session has been convened at Gairsain in view of public sentiment. He said the remaining four days of the session would be set aside for discussions on the Governor's address and the budget."This year's budget will focus on youth, women, farmers, and poor sections of society. We will make several provisions which will prove helpful for these sections," Uniyal said.The budget session is expected to see the presentation and passage of a budget of around Rs 1.1 lakh crore.The decision has triggered opposition criticism, with Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya questioning the short duration of the session. He argued that five days were inadequate for a meaningful examination of the budget and said he had earlier written to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami seeking a minimum 21-day budget session."It is about the future of the people of Uttarakhand; therefore, the budget provisions need to be discussed at length and the required changes made. But here, the govt, on the basis of its numbers in the state assembly, is least bothered about conducting a long session. The session appears just a formality to pass the budget, and the govt has no interest in healthy discussions," Arya said.