Budget discussions from Monday; squeezed to 5 days

JAMMU: With all eyes on how it shapes up the separate budgets of the two Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh—their maiden in new federal status, for the remaining five months of the current financial year i.e. 2019-20 and next financial year 2020-21, the Governor’s administration, led by Satya Pal Malik, is all set to hold discussions on the proposals from 14th of October in the summer capital Srinagar.
The discussions on Budget Proposals for Revenue and Capital Expenditure for next fiscal and Revised Estimates for current fiscal will last only 5 days this year and would culminate on October 18, 12 days before the two UTs into which Jammu and Kashmir will be bifurcated come into existence.
The government seeks to wrap up the process of budget making well in time ahead of October 31 as could be made out that it has pulled the usual timeline followed by successive governments at least three weeks ahead and also shortened the period of discussion from 38 days in 2018 to just 5 in 2019.
There will be 34 time slots in which proposals of 36 departments will be discussed, spanned over twenty-eight-and-a-half hours i.e. 870 minutes in total.
Only on Thursday, the government decided to segregate the annual budget for the remaining five months of the current fiscal for two UTs, from the budget for State of Jammu and Kashmir, and further divided into two parts for two UTs, fixing the deadline of 14 October to complete the exercise for making budget for this fiscal as well as next fiscal.
The Administrative Secretaries were asked to furnish their proposals for both these budgets by Friday, and a high-level meeting was held to finalize departments’ proposals, following which the detailed schedule of discussions on proposals was issued today by Director General (Budget), Finance Department.
“Discussions on Budget Proposals for remaining part of the financial year 2019-20 and full year of 2020-21 would begin from 14 October,” read a communiqué by him, which asked the Administrative Departments to furnish Action Taken Report on Budget announcements and complete details regarding Establishment Budget immediately to finalise discussions.
As per the schedule announced by the Finance Department, proposals of eight departments across seven time slots will be discussed on first two days, while third day will see an additional time slot for as many departments.
The last two days would see discussions on proposals of six departments each across six time slots, while there would a lunch break across the 5 days from 1 pm till 2:30 pm.
On October 14, the budget discussions of Agriculture department will be held at 10 am; Labour, Stationary & Printing and ARI department at 11 am; Revenue department at 11:30 am; Forest department at 12 pm; Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs at 2.30 pm; Planning Development & Monitoring Department at 3:30 pm and Tribal Affairs Department at 4:30 pm.
On October 15, the budget discussions of General Administration and Science & Technology Department will be held at 10 am; Hospitality Protocol & Toshkhana dept at 11 am; culture dept at 11:30 am, Higher Education at 12 pm; Industries and Commerce at 2.30 pm; Tourism Department at 3.30 pm; and YSTE department at 4:30 pm.
On October 16, the budget discussions of PWD will be held at 10 am; Animal & Sheep Husbandry at 11 am; Fisheries department at 12 pm; Cooperative at 12:30 pm; Finance department at 2:30 pm; Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction at 3.30 pm; Horticulture department at 4 pm and Information Department at 4:30 pm.
On October 17, the budget discussions of Housing & Urban Development Department will be held at 10 am; Transport at 11 am; Education department at 12 pm; Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution Department at 2.30 pm; Social Welfare Department at 3:30 pm; and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department at 4.30 pm.
On Final day, the budget discussions of Home Department will be held at 10 am; Irrigation & Flood Control at 11 am; PHE Department at 12 pm; Health &Medical Education at 2.30 pm; PDD at 3:30 pm and finally Ladakh affairs department at 4:30 pm.
According to the communiqué, the discussions on the Budget proposals of Jammu and Ladakh based Heads of the Departments would be held through video-conferencing while the departments have been instructed to call only those officers to participate in respective meeting as are felt necessary.
Jammu and Kashmir State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik had approved budget of Rs 88,911 crore for financial year 2019-20, on December 17, 2018.
In the meantime, on August 5, seven months before conclusion of the said financial year, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 was passed in the parliament -which bifurcated state in two Union Territories, effective from October 31.
Subsequently, the government had directed departments to settle their accounts, as well as other related work in the month of September, so as to ensure smooth transition to two UTs, and also to give the Finance Department sufficient time to accomplish the task of budget segregation as well as formulating the next year’s budget within the specified timelines.
On Thursday, it decided to segregate the current budget into two parts.
“Budget for the current financial year has to be segregated in two parts i.e 7 months from 1st April, 2019 to 31st October, 2019 as State of J&K and for 5 months from 1 November, 2019 to 31st March 2020 as Union Territory of J&K and Ladakh,” an official order yesterday said.

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