By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 4 Feb: It may be recalled that on 31 January, Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri had requested the government to hold the budget session of the assembly in Dehradun instead of Gairsain’s Bhararisain Assembly so that a paperless budget session could be conducted. During an informal chat with the media persons at the Sports College here, today, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, responded to the media persons’ query in this regard, sharing that the government is considering her request. He however added that a final decision in this respect will be taken by the cabinet.
Dhami admitted that the Speaker had pointed out that the arrangements in Bhararisain Legislative Assembly are not adequate yet for a digital conduct of the budget session and that the process of fixing those works is ongoing there. He added that although there were initial plans to hold the budget session in Gairsain’s Bhararisain Assembly, the government will now discuss the speaker’s request with the cabinet and take an appropriate decision. The CM added that the government initially wanted the budget session to be held in Gairsain, but the Assembly Speaker has requested that a session be held in Bhararisain after two to three months.
It may be recalled that there is an ongoing discussion about convening the budget session of Uttarakhand from 17 February. The Uttarakhand government has intensified its preparations for the budget session. However, the date and place of the Assembly budget session have not been decided yet. Assembly Speaker Ritu Bhushan Khanduri has requested the state government to hold the budget session in Dehradun Assembly due to incomplete arrangements in Bhararisain Assembly building.
Ritu Khanduri mentioned that work has been done under e-NEVA in both assembly houses in Dehradun and Bhararisain, digitalising them for paperless assembly sessions. The e-NEVA (National e-Vidhan Application) is a paperless governance initiative aimed at digitalising legislative processes in India. It is designed to make state legislatures more efficient, transparent, and environmentally friendly by reducing paper usage and promoting digital documentation. While the Dehradun assembly has been made digital, the assembly building in Bhararisain has not been fully digitalised yet. Ritu Khanduri also noted that the sound echoes in the assembly building of Bhararisain.
