Shimla: The first phase of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s Budget Session will be held from February 16 to 18, after which the House will go into recess. The schedule for the second phase of the session will be decided once the Assembly receives legislative business from the state government.
Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said this while speaking to the media after chairing a meeting on Tuesday to review preparations for the budget session. He said three sittings have been scheduled in the first phase, and all MLAs can submit their questions during this period.
The Speaker said the budget session begins every calendar year with the Governor’s address, and this year’s session will also start with the Governor addressing the House. After the address, a discussion will take place, and the budget will be presented as soon as the discussion concludes.
He said the first phase of the session is only the beginning, as legislative business is yet to be received from the government. Pathania pointed out that due to the prevailing circumstances, the central government has suspended the RDG, following which the state will have to prepare the budget afresh. This process may take some time. He added that the media will be informed once the government announces the date for the budget presentation.
In view of the eleventh session of the fourteenth Legislative Assembly, a meeting on security arrangements was also held in the main committee room of the Assembly Secretariat under the chairmanship of the Speaker.
The Speaker said that all entry passes for the session will be issued in handwritten form rather than online. As Himachal Pradesh has recently shifted from e-Vidhan to the National e-Vidhan (NeVA) system and the process is still underway, the decision has been taken to minimise inconvenience to members and officials. It was also decided that official gallery passes, establishment passes, and press passes issued by the Assembly Secretariat will be prominently displayed to reduce the need for frisking.
Briefing the meeting on security arrangements, DGP Ashok Tiwari said around 500 security personnel will be deployed during the Assembly session, and strict security measures will be in place. Only vehicles of ministers, MLAs, the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretaries and Administrative Secretaries will be allowed to park in the main Assembly complex.
Visitors and public representatives may meet the Chief Minister and members of the Council of Ministers only by prior appointment in the Assembly waiting room. Police and CID officials will coordinate to ensure smooth arrangements. The Speaker made it clear that there will be zero tolerance for any lapse in security during the session.
