J&K Budget Session Begins Amid Opposition Heat on Omar Abdullah Govt

Issues likely to hog the limelight during the budget session include the issue of regularisation of daily wagers, performance of the government and its achievements since the last budget and the restoration of statehood to J&K.

Omar Abdullah, who holds the finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the budget in the legislative assembly on February 6.

Lt. Governor, Manoj Sinha, will address the assembly session tomorrow as all necessary preparations for the session have been completed with a focus on ensuring smooth conduct and effective utilisation of time.

Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather, had discussions with officers concerned to finalise security-related arrangements.

Speaker Rather said that the consultations were also held with other officers associated with the session.

"Media persons were briefed about the proceedings. Their demands were also taken into consideration, who emphasised the need for the smooth functioning of the house," he said.

Rather said an all-party meeting was convened on Friday in which representatives of various political parties participated.

"Deliberations were held on how to make the session more beneficial for the people. The Business Advisory Committee was also involved in finalising the schedule. The provisional calendar of the house prepared earlier has been finalised and will be placed before the House along with the report of the Business Advisory Committee," he said.

"Assembly will largely function in a double-shift mode to ensure optimum utilisation of time," the Speaker said, urging the members to utilise the question hour effectively by properly raising questions.

He also called upon the government to come well prepared and respond appropriately.

Highlighting the role of the opposition, Rather said that it has the responsibility to keep the government under scrutiny and ensure accountability, but stressed that criticism should be constructive and based on solid grounds.

This will be the second budget of the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government after it assumed office on October 16, 2024.

As per the Assembly calendar issued by the Speaker, the budget session will conclude on April 4 and will be held in three phases - the first before the commencement of the holy Muslim month of Ramzan and the other two after Eid-ul-Fitr in March and April.

Ramzan is expected to begin on February 18 or 19, subject to sighting of the crescent. February will witness the presentation of the budget for the financial year 2026-27 and the Supplementary Statement of Expenditure for 2025-26 by the chief minister on February 6.

March and April will have five and four days of business, respectively.

Opposition parties, including the BJP, PDP and the Congress, are set to question the government over its poll promises and implementation of last year's budgetary commitments.

The opposition benches are likely to launch a strong offensive against the government, accusing it of allegedly failing to deliver on electoral assurances.

The BJP has indicated plans to question the administration over governance, job creation and public welfare measures.

The session is expected to witness sharp exchanges, with opposition parties preparing to corner the government on several issues, including regularisation of daily wagers, demolition drives and alleged discrimination.

The financial and human aspects of the regularisation of daily wagers were entrusted to a committee headed by the Chief Secretary with instructions to submit the report within six months.

The committee has submitted its report to the government, but after ten months.

This report is likely to be tabled by the government in the House for discussion.

Over 60,000 daily wagers of the public health engineering (PHE) department are pinning their hopes on Monday's Assembly session to decide their fate, which has been hanging fire for over two decades.

- IANS