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₹1.13 lakh-crore budget for Jammu & Kashmir gets House approval
The Lok Sabha on Monday approved a ₹1.13 lakh-crore budget of Jammu & Kashmir for 2022-23 after over six hours of intense debate.
The Lok Sabha on Monday approved a ₹1.13 lakh-crore budget of Jammu & Kashmir for 2022-23 after over six hours of intense debate in which Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman cited latest data to underscore the development taking place in the Union Territory after the nullification of Article 370 and said “true normalcy” returned to J&K only after 2019.
Referring to member of Parliament Hasnain Masoodi’s comment that fake normalcy prevails in J&K after the Narendra Modi-led government revoked Article 370 in 2019, she said in Hindi: “This isn’t fake normalcy… J&K was not included in the normalcy that was gradually coming in the entire country after 1947 due to Article 370… The normalcy that prevailed before the removal of 370 was the fake normal… Because the Indian Constitution was not applicable there… Now there is true normalcy [in J&K]…”
She said scheduled caste and scheduled tribes were denied their rights as guaranteed under the Constitution because of Article 370, which granted special status to J&K that blocked the application of over 890 Union laws in the state, including several welfare measures announced by the central government.
Commenting on a specific remark by the Opposition that J&K had right to happiness for children before the nullification of the said article, Sitharaman said: “I’m saying this with pain that right to happiness was reserved only for children of few families, which were wielding political power.”
“Larger interest of J&K is well addressed after removal of Article 370,” she said. In the last one-and-a-half years, 11,000 appointments were made for government departments in “fair and transparent” manner.
“Illegal recruitments were the norm before Article 370… That has been the norm… Back-door appointments – somebody’s uncle, somebody’s son… somebody’s son-in-law… all such appointments took place continuously in J&K. After the abrogation of Article 370, sir [addressing the chair], recruitments [took place]… all those who were deprived earlier got jobs in transparent manner… Back-door appointments are not encouraged now,” she said in Hindi.
Earlier in the day, after presenting a statement on the Budget of J&K for 2022-23 and supplementary demands for grants in 2021-22 for the Union Territory, Sitharaman secured permission of the Chair to enable same-day presentation and discussion on the Budget. Rule 205 of the conduct of business in Lok Sabha provides that there shall be no discussion of the Budget on the day it is presented to the House, unless it is waived by the Chair.
The Opposition, however, demanded adequate time to study the Budget’s fineprints before stating the discussion on the matter. In effect, they got about two hours to read the budget document. Sitharaman said that the hurry was due to the March 31 deadline and the paperwork would have required some more time after passage of the supplementary grants and Budget.
Congress leader Manish Tewari strongly opposed the suspension of Rule 205 and said: “What Finance Minister has presented is a serious document; it is an important document. We should be given time to study it.” On the objection of the Opposition to present and discuss the J&K budget on the same day, Sitharaman cited a precedence in 2014 when Rule 205 was suspended for the Delhi budget during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
The Budget 2022-23 for J&K in 2022-23 is 10% higher at ₹1,12,950 crore compared to the revised estimates (RE) of 2021-22. Sitharaman said the will continue development of the UT with focus on good governance, deepening grassroots democracy, and inclusive growth.
