Budget session of UP Assembly begins today, Oppn to corner govt over farmers' issues, law and order situation

Lucknow: The Budget session for 2021-22 of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly will commence on Thursday with an address by Governor Anandiben Patel to a joint sitting of both houses. State Finance Minister Suresh Khanna is slated to table the budget at 11 am on Monday. The session will continue till March 10.

An all-party meeting was also called by Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit on Wednesday ahead of the budget presentation. He sought cooperation from the leaders for the smooth running of the budget session. He had informed that the budget will be paperless and the finance minister will read out the Budget paper from a tablet.

"The state finance minister will read out the Budget paper from a tablet. All the members have been given tablets and necessary training," Dikshit had said. Ram Govind Chaudhary, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly has opposed the idea of the paperless budget saying that it would result in many people suffering financial losses or even losing their jobs.

"On February 18, the Governor will address the Assembly. The Chief Minister said that House should function properly. I oppose the paperless budget because Uttar Pradesh is a state of manpower. With the budget going paperless, there would be three losses. If everything goes paperless, farmers will bear losses as they grow raw materials for paper," he said.

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"At printing press, people will not have work as the paper will not be printed. If paper factories shut down, then lakhs of people will get unemployed. The state government sees only benefits of technology but it is not seeing who will suffer due to it," Chaudhary said. 

During the Budget session, BSP will raise issues related to farmers` problems, law and order situation, and unemployment in the state.

"The Speaker called for an all-party meeting. Everyone put forth their views. MLAs will face problems due to a paperless budget. We will raise issues where the state government is failing. BSP chief Mayawati has directed us to raise farmers` problems, law and order, and unemployment," said Lalji Varma, Leader of BSP Legislature Party.

Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Sunil Singh Yadav alleged that BJP leaders and ministers had looted money allocated in the previous budgets. 

"We are hoping that Uttar Pradesh will get something from this budget. This is the last budget of the BJP government. This budget should be paperless but not `vikasless` (without development). In the last 4 years, BJP leaders, ministers, and officials looted money allocated in the budget," he said. 

On February 16, COVID-19 tests of all MLAs and MLCs were conducted in view of the pandemic.