JAMMU, Feb 24: The UT Cabinet today approved the Lieutenant Governor’s Address for budget session of the Legislature which will be delivered by Manoj Sinha to the House on March 3.The Cabinet met for two hours in the Civil Secretariat here from 7 PM to 9 PM under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Besides Omar, the Cabinet has only five Ministers as there are three vacancies.
Sources told the Excelsior that the Cabinet discussed the points pertaining to different departments to be incorporated in the Lieutenant Governor’s Address and approved them after detailed discussions.
“The points now will be sent to the Lieutenant Governor and only after his approval, the Address will go to the press,” the sources said.
In a Union Territory, all issues approved by the Cabinet have to be sent to the LG for approval which is mandatory.
The Lieutenant Governor’s Address to the Legislature scheduled for 10 AM in the Legislature Hall at Civil Secretariat on March 3 will set the Government agenda for the next financial year.
The Address carried roadmap of different Government departments.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Finance Department, will present his maiden budget in the Legislative Assembly on March 7.
Omar has completed pre-budgetary exercises with different stakeholders and the budget now is in the stage of finalization. A separate Cabinet meeting will be held for approval of the budget whose proposals too have to be sent to the Lieutenant Governor’s nod, the sources said.
This will be Manoj Sinha’s second address to the Legislature after formation of Omar Abdullah Government in October last year. He addressed the Assembly on November 4 on Day one of five days first Assembly session of the Government from November 4-8.
As per Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act-2019, the Lieutenant Governor shall address the Legislative Assembly at the commencement of the first session after each general election to the Legislative Assembly and at the commencement of the first session of each year.
The 40-day long budget session of J&K Assembly would begin on March 3 and conclude on April 11 with 12 days break.
On November 4, 2024, Sinha had made a detailed address to the House, outlining the agenda and priorities of the Government.
Sources said that several agenda items of different departments were also discussed during the meeting.
“The Cabinet gave its go-ahead to the proposals of the Housing & Urban Development Department, Health and Rural Development Departments,” they said.
