Uttarakhand Budget Session 2025: Assembly Proceedings Lasted 37 Hours 49 Minutes, Budget Passed Unanimously
The Uttarakhand Assembly’s budget session lasted a total of 37 hours and 49 minutes before being adjourned indefinitely. On the fifth day of the session, a budget of ₹1,01,175.33 crore was passed by voice vote on Saturday. The opposition had proposed budget cuts in nine categories, but all of them were rejected. Later in the evening, the Assembly was adjourned indefinitely. Since it was an effective day, there was no question hour, but the opposition raised issues related to education, forests, and roads during the motion for adjournment.
Discussions and Budget Approval Process
The proceedings began on Saturday morning with discussions under Rule 58 on various topics before the lunch break. After the break, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Premchand Aggarwal presented the budget proposals item-wise. The opposition, considering the budget insufficient in nine areas, proposed cuts as a form of protest. These proposals were debated, with ruling party members also giving their inputs. However, all proposed budget cuts were rejected.By the evening, the tax-free budget of ₹1,01,175.33 crore was passed through a voice vote. This budget includes ₹59,854.65 crore in revenue expenditure and ₹41,220.68 crore in capital expenditure.
Budget Session Lasted Nearly 38 Hours
This year’s Uttarakhand budget session lasted for a total of 37 hours and 49 minutes across five days:
- February 18: 15 minutes
- February 19: 9 hours 23 minutes
- February 20: 9 hours 40 minutes
- February 21: 11 hours 51 minutes
- February 22: 6 hours 40 minutes
During the session, a total of 526 questions were raised, including 30 short-notice questions and 496 starred and unstarred questions.
Record-Breaking Assembly Session
On Friday, the Assembly set a new record for the longest continuous session. Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan conducted proceedings for 11 hours and 51 minutes without a break after lunch.
This broke the previous record she set on February 28, 2023, when the session ran for 11 hours and 20 minutes. Earlier records include:
- June 11, 2002: 11 hours 11 minutes (Speaker Yashpal Arya)
- June 15, 2017: 4 hours 40 minutes (Speaker Premchand Aggarwal)
- 2017: 6 hours 45 minutes (Deputy Speaker Raghunath Singh Chauhan)
10 Bills Passed in the Assembly
On the fourth day of the budget session, the Assembly passed 10 bills, including:
- Uttarakhand State Assembly (Members’ Benefits and Pension) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 – MLA Mohd. Shehzad proposed an amendment, which was accepted unanimously.
- Special Provisions (Amendment) Bill, 2025 for municipal bodies and authorities.
- Uttarakhand Depositors (Financial Establishments) Protection (Repeal) Bill, 2025.
- Uttarakhand Urban and Rural Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
- Uttarakhand State Sports University Bill, 2025.
- Uttarakhand UP Public Service (Reservation for Physically Disabled, Dependents of Freedom Fighters, and Ex-Servicemen) Act, 1993 (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
- Uttarakhand Public Service (Horizontal Reservation for Skilled Athletes) (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
- Uttarakhand Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
- Uttarakhand (UP Zamindari Abolition and Land Management Act, 1950) (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
These legislative changes aim to improve governance, development, and welfare in the state.
