J&K Budget steers clear of stakeholders in J&K: Masoodi in LS
Questions suspension of Rule 205, says MPs deprived from discussing allocations, estimates
New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Tuesday said the J&K Budget 2022-23 presented in the Parliament by the Union Finance Minister ignored the established parliamentary norms and the aspirations of all the concerned stakeholders.
A statement issued by the party said that party’s MP, Hasnain Masoodi made these remarks while replying to the Union Finance Minister’s Budget speech.
Taking strong exception to the suspension of rule 205 of the parliamentary proceedings, Masoodi said, “The honourable members of the house were deprived of their right to discuss the budget. It has never been the case that a budget bill was tabled and passed on the same day. We were not given due time to study the allocations and estimates proposed in the budget. The members of this august house were practically deprived of their right to discuss the various facets of the financial statement that directly concerns 1.5 crore people.”
He said that it is the fourth budget in a row which wasn’t passed by the elected legislature of Jammu and Kashmir. “The exercise itself raises a question why an entire populace of nearly 1.50 Cr people continue to remain without a representative Assembly. An elected assembly could have discussed and ascertained the needs and aspirations of the people of JK before tabling annual budgetary allocations and estimates. It is again for the fourth time that the concerned stakeholders were not consulted before the tabling of the budget,” he said.
He said that nearly 73 percent of the JK budget has been earmarked for the Home department only. Reflecting on the budgetary allocations, he said that the budget steers clear of health, education, agriculture sectors.
He added that the budget has failed to satisfy all stakeholders, particularly the 61,000 contractual, daily rated, need based wagers working in a number of government departments.
Drawing the attention of the house towards the appalling condition of NH 44, Masoodi said the highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country was closed for one and a half months not so long ago. The budget, he said, has nothing substantial for the up gradation and augmentation of road infrastructure in JK.
