Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar will present the state’s budget for financial year 2024-25 in Assembly on Friday. This will be last budget of present Khattar led BJP-JJP government before the coming Assembly elections scheduled to be held in October.
Khattar, who also holds finance portfolio, said that the budget would focus on welfare and the betterment of all sections with special emphasis on education, rural development, health and environment.
The budget session will begin on Tuesday amid additional security in view of ongoing farmers’ agitation. The assembly speaker Gyan Chand Gupta said that the concerned officials of Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab have been directed to ensure additional security arrangements in view of the ongoing farmers’ movement. The session will being with governor’s address on February 20. Later, there will be general discussion in the House on the address.
Meanwhile, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Assembly Speaker Gyan Chand Gupta here on Monday with officials of Haryana, Punjab and UT Chandigarh giving strict instructions pertaining to the security arrangements. Divulging more information, Gyan Chand Gupta said that in view of the ongoing farmers’ movement, the officials have been directed to ensure additional security arrangements.
The speaker said that besides, in view of the an incident of security breach in parliament last year, the security personnel will have an close eye on every single activity and the audience willing to witness the proceedings of the assembly are required to carry issued entry cards.
Further he informed that the CM Khattar will present the budget on February 23 while on February 24-25, ad hoc committees will study the budget in detail. Further, budget estimates will be discussed on February 26-27. Likewise, the reports of the committees will be presented on 28th.
CM Khattar, Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, Home Minister Anil Vij, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kanwar Pal, Leader of Opposition Bhupendra Singh Hooda and Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly Ranbir Gangwa were present in the meeting.
With assembly polls due later this year, Khattar — who will present the last budget of his second term — had recently told reporters that the focus will be on welfare for all sections of society.
Sectors such as health care, education, rural development and environment will be in focus, he had said. Meanwhile, the opposition Congress is gearing up to take on the BJP-JJP alliance on a host of issues.
The party is likely to raise the issue of the farmers’ protest as thousands of protesting farmers continue to camp at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border to press for their demands.
Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda accused the Khattar government of having failed on all fronts and had recently said the Congress would bring a no-confidence motion during the session.
The former chief minister has said his party would raise several issues, including alleged scams under the BJP-JJP government.
“The Congress will also seek answers from the government on issues such as rising unemployment in the state, irregularities in skill employment corporation, sending youths to the war zone in Israel, giving priority to outsiders in Haryana’s recruitment, recruitment scams,” he had said.
The Congress will raise issues such as the state’s “increasing” debt, “rising” drug abuse, farmers’ plight and “deteriorating” law-and-order situation, he had further mentioned.
The Congress had also brought a motion of no confidence against the BJP-JJP government three years ago but it was defeated.
Khattar referred to the previous no-confidence motion, saying he had challenged the opposition that they must table such a motion during every session so that they can hear about the work done by his government. Otherwise, they just speak without listening, he had said.
If the Congress brings a no-confidence motion again, they will be compelled to hear about the works done by the government, Khattar had added.
The BJP has 41 MLAs in the 90-member House while its alliance partner the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) has 10.
Six of the seven Independent members in the House support the BJP, which also enjoys the support of lone Haryana Lokhit Party MLA Gopal Kanda.
The main opposition the Congress has 30 MLAs while the Indian National Lok Dal has one.
