Budget session begins today: Focus on hospitals, schools
DELHI’S FINANCES First inaugural address by LG Baijal, to be live streamed on Facebook
The five-day budget session of Delhi assembly will begin on Monday, with lieutenant governor Anil Baijal giving his inaugural address to the legislators.
The session would also usher in a new beginning, with the Delhi assembly streaming the entire proceedings live on social networking site Facebook. The assembly currently provides live streaming of the proceedings to interested news channels through a three-camera set-up, besides webcasting the proceedings through its official website.
In a departure from the past, the government is likely to present the budget at 12 noon on Wednesday. Till last year, the budget used to be presented in the second half post tea break.
This will be the first such address by Baijal in the assembly after taking over from Najeeb Jung, in which he will outline the broader priorities of the Delhi government even as the opposition is planning to corner the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for having ‘failed’ in delivering on programmes announced in previous two budgets.
This is the third full budget of AAP government, but this comes ahead of the municipal elections. Similar to the previous two, sources said, the focus of the budget is likely to remain on education and health sector, which are likely to get a bulk of the allocation. The government, however, is unlikely to come up with new tax proposals in the wake of the implementation of the goods and services tax, which will overhaul the indirect tax regime in the country.
“The first day of the session would end with the L-G’s address. After a discussion on vote of thanks the next day, budget 2017 is likely to be tabled in the House on March 8. Unlike previous years, the timing of the budget presentation is being changed this year. It would be tabled at 12 noon in the House,” an official said.
Leader of opposition Vijender Gupta said that the third budget, which is being called ‘outcome’ budget, will prove to be a ‘castle in the air as talking big and doing nothing has become the AAP government”.
“AAP government is promising to present a comprehensive outcome budget this year with a timeline for every scheme. It may sound attractive, but experience shows that the government is in the habit of painting a rosy picture without the backing of a realistic framework. It has miserably failed when it comes to implementation of dream schemes and projects,” Gupta said.
The Rohini legislator also accused the AAP government of doing away with giving the statutory notice of 14 days for calling the session to “suit its political and administrative convenience”. “It is against the rules and convention of the Assembly. Calling the session at such a short notice deprives the opposition of its opportunity to raise questions about functioning of the government and highlighting public grievances,” said Gupta, even as sources said the session is unlikely to have any question hour.
Pitching for Aam Aadmi Party’s win in the upcoming municipal elections, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said if his party comes to power in MCD then they will make Delhi comparable to London. Addressing a gathering at Uttam Nagar, Kejriwal said the BJP-ruled municipal bodies have not been able to keep Delhi clean. The dates for MCD elections are yet to be announced.
“Last time you gave us 67 seats but this time don’t even leave the 3 seats. If we win MCD once, we will change Delhi so much in one year that you will compare Delhi to London,” he said.
The CM said that people have the misconception that Delhi is not clean due to AAP government’s failure. He said the BJP and Congress have been leading the municipal bodies for the last 20 years without doing anything.
Meanwhile, Congress workers led by former Uttam Nagar legislator Mukesh Sharma protested near the venue where Kejriwal was addressing the gathering. The protesters burnt an effigy of Kejriwal accusing the AAP government of ‘cheating the city residents’. HTC