Know everything about Himachal's Budget Session 2025

S Gopal Puri

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly commenced its Budget Session on March 10, 2025, setting the stage for critical discussions on the state’s fiscal policies and developmental strategies. The session, initially scheduled to conclude on March 28, has been extended by three days, reflecting the assembly’s commitment to thorough deliberations.

The Budget Session, inaugurated with the Governor’s address, was initially planned for 16 sittings. However, during an all-party meeting chaired by Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, both ruling and opposition members agreed to extend the session by three days.

This extension aims to provide ample time for comprehensive discussions on various public interest issues.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is slated to present the state budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on March 17. This budget, his third consecutive presentation, is anticipated to outline significant allocations towards enhancing infrastructure and the education sector.

The Chief Minister has emphasized his administration’s dedication to these areas, aiming to bolster the state’s overall development.

In preparation for the session, legislators have submitted a total of 963 questions, comprising 737 starred and 226 unstarred queries.

These questions span a broad spectrum of public concerns, including the deteriorating condition of roads, pending Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for approved road projects, the upgrading of educational and health institutions, and the filling of vacant positions across various departments.

Issues such as tourism development, drinking water supply, the rising menace of drug abuse among youth, escalating crime rates, and the impact of natural disasters are also slated for discussion.

The state cabinet, in its meeting preceding the session, approved several key initiatives:

Special Maternity Leave: A 60-day special maternity leave has been sanctioned for female government employees in cases of stillbirth or the death of a child shortly after birth.

Recruitment and Infrastructure: Approval has been granted for the declaration of pending results for 699 posts across six post codes, excluding tainted positions. Additionally, the cabinet has sanctioned the creation and filling of various posts in departments such as Revenue, Planning, Treasury, and Police.

Notably, the Police Chowki in Sanjauli has been upgraded to a Police Station, and a new Fire Post is to be established in Nerwa, Shimla district.

Educational Enhancements: The cabinet has approved the introduction of new courses, including B.Tech programs in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Computer Science at Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College, Nagrota Bagwan, and a Civil Engineering course at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Institute of Engineering and Technology, Pragatinagar.

A new diploma course in Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) is also set to commence at Government Polytechnic College, Sundernagar.

The opposition, led by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, has raised concerns regarding the utilization of temple trust funds for state schemes, advocating for transparency and proper allocation.

They have also emphasized the need for extended discussions on the Governor’s address to ensure all members have the opportunity to voice their constituencies’ issues.