Finance, Agriculture, PWD, Forest, Food and Backward Classes Welfare among key departments whose Demands for Grants were cleared without debate

Kolkata, 24 July (H.S.): The West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the Demands for Grants of 44 government departments through the guillotine procedure without holding detailed discussions. The proposals were approved by voice vote after the allotted time for budget discussions came to an end.

The departments whose budgetary demands were cleared without debate include Finance, Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing, Backward Classes Welfare, Consumer Affairs, Environment, Forest, Food and Consumer Protection, Public Works (PWD), Irrigation and Waterways, Correctional Administration, Housing, and Information and Cultural Affairs.

The Assembly also approved, without discussion, the budgetary demands of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles Department, Madrasah Education and Library Services, Food Processing and Horticulture, Information Technology and Electronics, Law, Labour, Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education, Parliamentary Affairs, Sundarban Development, Water Resources Investigation and Development, Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs, Tribal Development, Land and Land Reforms, Women and Child Development, and Disaster Management and Civil Defence, among others.

During the second phase of the Budget Session, held from July 20 to July 24, the Assembly conducted detailed discussions on the budgets of only 13 departments. These included the Home Department, whose budget was debated in detail for the first time in nearly 14 years. The BJP government described the discussion as a step towards greater transparency and legislative accountability.

However, the remaining 44 departmental budgets were passed through the guillotine procedure after the scheduled time for discussions expired, with the Demands for Grants being approved together by voice vote.

It may be recalled that during the previous Trinamool Congress government's tenure, the budgets of several key departments, including the Home Department, were also routinely passed through the guillotine procedure without detailed discussion in the Assembly.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh