Jammu, Feb 7: Ahead of the budget session, the J&K Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has directed all the Financial Commissioners (Additional Chief Secretaries), Principal Secretaries and Commissioners Secretaries to ensure strict observance to procedures dealing with questions and other legislative business.
The maiden budget session of the Legislative Assembly of J&K as Union Territory will commence on March 3, 2025.
All the Administrative Secretaries and Head of the Departments have also been instructed to “remain present in the House whenever issues pertaining to their departments come up for discussion.”
The department has asked all the concerned to refer draft bills and other legislative proposals, to be introduced in the budget session, to it (Law Department) for legal vetting before the budget session.
Secretary, J&K Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Achal Sethi has drawn the attention of all departments towards “Part-C of the Transaction of the Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019 which deals with the procedure for dealing with proposals for initiating legislation and consultation of Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.”
Pointing out that under some Acts, the provisions require the rules and notifications issued to be laid before the J&K Legislative Assembly during the budget session, he has asked the departments to fulfil the requirements of the law, without fail.
“Moreover, such proposals which require the recommendation of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in terms of section 36 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 should invariably be submitted at least 21 days in advance to the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat,” Sethi has instructed.
“To ensure proper examination of the proposals for introduction in the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir during the ensuing budget session commencing from March 3, 2025, a reasonable time is required by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. It is, therefore, necessary that such draft bills and other legislative proposals, which are intended to be introduced (in the ensuing budget session) and require legal vetting, ought to be referred to this Department much before commencing of the Budget Session,” Sethi has pointed out.
Referring to Part-C of the Transaction of the Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019, Sethi has specified that in some Acts, the rule-making provisions require that the rules and notifications issued thereunder are to be laid before the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Departments are requested to ensure that such rules or notifications, if any, issued under the Acts administered by the respective departments, are laid before the Legislative Assembly during the Budget Session to fulfil the requirements of the law,” he has instructed.
