Shattering the 24-year-old tradition, the Pushkar Singh Dhami government is set to present the budget on the second day of the Uttarakhand budget session on Tuesday, defying the customary post-lunch presentation.
The historic event is scheduled to unfold at 12:30 pm, marking a departure from the long-standing practice of budget presentations at 4 pm after the lunch break.
The session will commence with a question hour, after which the government will table the budget for the financial year 2024-25.
To maintain peace during the session, the Dehradun district administration has imposed Section 144 within a radius of 300 meters around the assembly complex.
The five-day budget session of the Uttarakhand Assembly began on Monday with Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd) addressing the house.
“Today the budget session in the Assembly started with the address of the respected Governor Lt Gen Gurmit. In his address, Honorable Governor praised the decisions taken by the state government in the interest of the state and various policies dedicated to public welfare and all-round development,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated in a social media post on Monday.
“Our government is working at a fast pace for the overall development of Uttarakhand. Keeping in mind the interests of every section of the state, the government has taken many public welfare decisions. Certainly, this budget session will also be very important for the development of Uttarakhand,” Dhami added.
The Uttarakhand government will table the ‘Uttarakhand Public and Private Property Damage Recovery Bill’ in the assembly during the budget session to deal strictly with miscreants damaging government and private property during protests
Under this bill, the losses incurred during protests and strikes will be recovered from the accused involved in the disturbance. To compensate for the loss, a tribunal will be constituted under the chairmanship of a retired district judge.
Earlier, in January, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a ‘Pre-Budget Dialogue’ program in Dehradun and asked for suggestions from fellow countrymen.
He stressed the importance of inclusivity, stating that the Budget should reflect the sentiments, aspirations, and expectations of everyone. Dhami highlighted the need to incorporate the concerns and solutions of the common people in the Budget.