BJP-led Delhi govt to present Budget today

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) The five-day Budget session of the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party government will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday with a kheer ceremony, according to officials aware of the matter.

The first day of the session is likely to witness the tabling of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Delhi Transport Corporation for 2024, they said.

However, there was no confirmation if the economic survey will be tabled in the House on the first day.

On Monday, the government has also invited representatives of various communities such as farmers and traders, suggestions from whom were sought to be included in the Budget.

According to the list of business, the House will begin with a Question Hour, and will be followed by Special Mention (Rule-280) under which MLAs will raise matters related to their constituencies and in general affecting the people of Delhi with the permission of the Chair.

On Tuesday, the second of the day of the session, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will table the BJP government’s first Budget, which is likely to be titled “Viksit Delhi”.

Akin to the name, Delhi Budget 2025-26 is likely to focus on infrastructure development, cleaning of the Yamuna, and tackling air pollution, with provisions for health and education sectors, among others, according to people aware of the matter.

It is also expected to include financial provisions for the Rs 2,500 monthly allowance the BJP had promised for women before the Assembly elections.

After the Budget presentation, a general discussion will take place on March 26 (Wednesday) to analyse financial allocations and policy initiatives. The Assembly will deliberate and vote on the proposed Budget on March 27 (Thursday), Speaker Vijender Gupta said.

The Assembly will then deliberate and vote on the Budget on March 27 (Thursday). The session is set to run till March 28 during which the House will take up various legislative businesses.

“The Budget Session is a crucial period in the legislative calendar, during which key financial and policy matters will be discussed and decided upon. The session is tentatively scheduled to run from March 24 to March 28, 2025, with provisions for extension if required,” Speaker Gupta added.

Each of the five days will include the Question Hour. On the last day, MLAs will be allowed to introduce and debate their proposals on governance and public welfare.

Speaker Gupta stressed on the importance of maintaining decorum to ensure that the session is successful.

According to BJP leaders, Budget 2025-26 has been made with suggestions received from the people of Delhi.

“We received 3,303 suggestions on email and 6,982 WhatsApp messages. We have carefully considered all those suggestions,” CM Rekha Gupta said.

“We have paid attention to all the needs of the common man such as water and electricity as well as women empowerment. This budget will also focus on solutions to water logging concerns, cleaning of the river Yamuna, tackling air pollution, education, health, employment and infrastructure development. It fulfils Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Delhi,” CM Gupta said.

Apart from the Budget, the Assembly will also focus on a CAG report on DTC — titled “Functioning of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC)” — the Delhi Assembly has witnessed tabling of two other CAG reports on health infrastructure and excise policies last month.

The tabling of 14 of such reports, that have been pending since as long as 2017-2018, was a poll promise made by the BJP ahead of the February 8 Assembly elections.

The BJP has consistently accused the former AAP government of not tabling these reports, claiming that the party was trying to hide “irregularities committed under its rule in different departments in Delhi government”.

The last Delhi Budget was presented by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in March last year with an allocation of Rs 76,000 crore. The then Finance Minister Atishi had presented the Delhi budget 2024 on the theme “Ram Rajya”.

–IANS

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