Srinagar, Sep 08: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly will convene its first paperless session from September 21, with the Assembly Secretariat issuing a provisional calendar for the autumn sitting that will see the House take up Government Business, Private Members’ Bills and Private Members’ Resolutions.
The session will begin with Obituary References and Government Business, followed by Government Business on September 22. September 23 will be observed as a holiday on account of the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh Ji.
According to the provisional calendar issued under the authority of Assembly Speaker Advocate Abdul Rahim Rather, Private Members’ Bills have been scheduled for September 24 and September 28, while Private Members’ Resolutions will be taken up on September 25. September 26 will be an off day and September 27 a holiday. Government Business is scheduled for September 29 and 30, subject to the availability of business.
Ahead of the session, legislators were permitted to submit up to four starred and four unstarred questions—eight questions in all—one Bill and two resolutions each. The deadline for questions and Bills was August 25, while notices for resolutions could be submitted up to September 5.
The upcoming session is also significant as the Assembly is set to move towards fully paperless functioning through the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA). From the autumn session, legislative business, including replies to questions, Bills and other Assembly work, is to be processed through the digital platform. The system was partially introduced during the 2026 Budget Session, with the objective of eventually eliminating paper-based legislative processes.
The Assembly Secretariat has reportedly received more than 300 questions from legislators for the forthcoming session. Besides fresh Private Members’ Bills, several Bills left pending from the Budget Session are also expected to come up for consideration, subject to their listing by the Speaker.
The move to NeVA is being viewed as an important step towards modernising the functioning of the J&K legislature, enabling members and departments to submit, access and process legislative material digitally. Departments have been directed to submit replies to questions, Bills and other Assembly business through the portal and maintain their accounts on a regular basis.
The sixth session will be closely watched as legislators are expected to raise a range of public issues, besides the Government placing its legislative and administrative business before the House. The detailed business, however, remains subject to changes depending on the matters listed before the Assembly.
The session will be held in Srinagar and comes ahead of the October 4 deadline for convening the Assembly within six months of the conclusion of the previous session. The Budget Session had concluded on April 4, 2026.
Meanwhile, BJP is gearing up to corner the NC government over a series of issues that include power tariff hike, job outsourcing and failure to fulfil manifesto promises that include allotting 12 gas cylinders, free ration and 200 units of power.
“We will play the role of a constructive opposition and make the NC government accountable for its failure to deliver on what it promised in its manifesto,” said Altaf Thakur, BJP J&K spokesperson.
