Jammu: Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Saturday adjourned the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly sine die after the budget session that lasted for 22 sittings spread across February, March and April.
The assembly session commenced on February 2 with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah presenting the Budget on February 6, while the House passed grants for various departments after detailed discussions conducted in twin sittings each day till February 20. After a five-weeks recess, the budget session resumed on March 27.
The Speaker said the assembly held a total of 22 sittings, marking a second-highest tally among states, next only to Gujarat, which recorded 23 budget sittings.
The House functioned for a total of 6,636 minutes (110.6 hours) during this session, he said, adding a total of eight government bills were received, all of which were introduced and passed. Additionally, 25 papers were laid and one ordinance was presented, Rather informed the House.
Regarding private members’ business, the Speaker said 36 bills were pending from the previous session, while 39 new bills were received during this session. Of these, 72 bills were listed, 24 were taken up and two were introduced.
On the questions, he said a total of 1,528 questions — 802 starred and 726 unstarred — were received. After personally scrutinising the questions, a total of 1,379 were listed, 144 disallowed, two withdrawn by members and three questions were not listed.
The Speaker said 151 starred questions were taken up in the house along with 331 supplementaries.
Similarly, 110 calling attention notices were received, of which 63 were disallowed and 47 admitted. A total of 26 notices were listed and all 26 were taken up for discussion, he said.
Regarding resolutions, a total of 128 were received, 101 admitted, 27 disallowed, 14 listed and four taken up but none was adopted, Rather said.
He also referred to two notices taken up for short-duration discussions while the house received 2,231 cut motions, of which 2,059 were admitted and 172 disallowed.
Appreciating members for their cooperation, Rather said it was commendable that the House provided maximum opportunity for participation, allowing members across parties to express their views and reflect a healthy democratic spirit.
Highlighting the workload on ministers, he said they handle multiple departments and responsibilities, making their role particularly demanding while responding to house proceedings.
He also lauded the chief minister for his presence throughout the session despite pressing responsibilities, besides the government officers — especially Chief Secretary Atal Dullo.
“The chief minister oversees several key departments and has to ensure their proper functioning. At the same time, sitting in the house and personally responding to questions is not an easy task,” he said.
The Speaker said Abdullah answering questions personally reflects his seriousness towards the house and a strong commitment to accountability. This is a positive practice and deserves appreciation.
“With this, today’s proceedings come to an end, and the house stands adjourned sine die,” Rather said.
Earlier, the members cutting across party lines praised the speaker for ensuring smooth functioning of the House during the budget session. (With inputs from PTI)
