BHUBANESWAR: The State government may go for a vote-on-account instead of placing a full-fledged budget for the 2022-23 financial year in view of the ensuing panchayat polls and urban body polls which is likely to be held immediately after. The state budget is generally presented in the Assembly in February.
Speaker of the Assembly Surjya Narayan Patro told mediapersons on Friday that the process for the panchayat elections has already started which will be followed by polls to the urban bodies. Due to the code of conduct being in force, an interim budget, instead of a full-fledged one, will be tabled this time, he added.
The Speaker said that it is mandatory for the Finance Minister to place a budget in the House. He said that there is no clear communication either from the office of the Governor or the State government for convening the budget session which is generally held in March. Patro said that as soon as the Governor or the State government proposes anything on the budget session of the Assembly, it will be informed to the media.
Sources in the government, however, said that no decision has been taken in this regard so far. The model code of conduct in force now will be lifted on February 28 after the counting of votes is over. The State government will have a seven to 15 days window before the urban body election is announced. A full-fledged budget can be placed during this period. But, no decision has been taken in this regard, they added.
The State government had presented vote-on-account in the Assembly before 2009, 2014 and 2019 general elections. The vote-on-account is prepared taking into consideration the expenditure requirement of the government for the first four months of the financial year.