JAMMU, Feb 14: After a seven-year hiatus, Jammu & Kashmir’s annual budget is set to be presented in the Legislative Assembly on March 7. The Legislative Assembly secretariat has released a tentative calendar indicating that the budget for the Union Territory for the fiscal year 2025-26 will be unveiled on March 7, during a session that begins on March 3 and ends on April 11.
On March 7, the annual financial statement of expenditure for 2025-26 and the supplementary statement of expenditure for 2024-25 will be introduced in the House. This marks the first time in seven years that the budget for J&K will be discussed in the Assembly, following a period where budgets were presented in Parliament due to central rule.
The budget session will comprise a total of 22 sittings. According to the calendar, the session kicks off on March 3 with an address by the Lieutenant Governor to the House. Discussions regarding the LG’s address will take place on March 4, 5, and 6, concluding with a response from the Chief Minister on March 6.
According to the calendar, there will be general discussions on the budget on March 8, 10, and 11. The Finance Minister, who also serves as the Chief Minister, will conclude the general discussion with his reply on March 11.
Based on the timetable developed by the Legislative Assembly secretariat, discussions on demands for grants are scheduled for March 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, and 24. Following this, the budget will be approved on March 25 with the passage of the Appropriation Bills. The Legislative Assembly will recess for 12 days after the budget is passed.
The second segment of the budget session will start on March 7, which has been designated for private members’ resolutions. The Assembly will address private member bills on March 8 and revisit private member resolutions on March 9. Per the calendar, government business will resume on March 11. (KNO)
