PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N Rangasamy would present the Puducherry budget for the fiscal 2021-2022 on August 26, the opening day of the budget session of the Legislative Assembly.
After the customary address of the Lt Governor and the election of the Deputy Speaker on August 26, the Chief Minister who holds the finance portfolio will present the budget. "I will present the budget in the afternoon on August 26," the Chief Minister told a press conference on Monday.
However, the draft budget is yet to be approved by the central government. Puducherry being a Union territory, the approval of the central government is required for presenting the budget in the territorial assembly. The Chief Minister said that the approval will come in a day or two. Already, the draft budget has been cleared by the Union Finance Ministry and is awaiting clearance from the Union Home Ministry, said the Chief Minister.
With time running out, the budget session is likely to be a short one as the budget has to be passed before August 31, when the period of Vote on Accounts for meeting the fiscal expenditure expires. The Vote on Accounts (VOA) was passed for a period of five months from April to August 2021, for a total expenditure of Rs 3,934 crore, to meet the committed expenditure of the government. It authorises payment and appropriation of certain sums from the Consolidated Fund of the Union territory of Puducherry for five months of the fiscal.
"We will have a brief debate on demand for grants due to shortage of time," the Chief Minister added.