Shimla: The second phase of the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly’s budget session will commence on March 18, with chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu set to present the annual budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 on March 20.Sukhu, who also holds the finance portfolio, will steer the financial roadmap for the upcoming year amid bleeding state coffers, rising debt and discontinuation of the crucial revenue deficit grant (RDG) by the 16th Finance Commission.Parliamentary affairs minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on Tuesday said the budget was scheduled to be passed on March 28. Discussions on the governor’s address will take place on March 18 and 19, with the CM replying to the motion of thanks on the governor’s address in the evening of March 19.Following the presentation of the budget on March 20, a three-day discussion will be held from March 23 to 25. As March 26 is a holiday, cut motions and voting on the budget will be taken up on March 27 and 28, after which the budget will be passed, the minister informed.Chauhan further said the detailed schedule was expected to be formally released shortly by legislative assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania and the assembly secretariat.The first phase of the budget session began on Feb 16 with governor Shiv Pratap Shukla’s address. On Feb 18, the House passed a resolution opposing the 16th Finance Commission’s recommendation to discontinue the revenue deficit grant, which the state received under Articles 275 and 280 from the 5th to the 15th Finance Commissions.The resolution, sent to the Centre, warned that ending the grant would trigger financial strain in the hill state. The first phase of the budget session, which ended on Feb 18, witnessed sittings lasting 18 hours and 24 minutes, with productivity recorded at 124%.MSID:: 128969914 413 |
