BackPresident signs ordinance on Uttarakhand expenditure
The Uttarakhand Appropriation (Vote on Account) Ordinance, 2016, allows for the withdrawal of Rs13,642.43 crore to meet the state's expenditure during the ongoing fiscal year
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New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has promulgated the Uttarakhand Appropriation (Vote on Account) Ordinance, 2016 which authorizes expenditure in the hill state that has come under direct federal rule because of a political crisis.
The ordinance allows for the withdrawal of about ₹ 13,642.43 crore to meet the state’s expenditure during the ongoing fiscal year. The decision to issue the ordinance was taken at a Union cabinet meeting on Wednesday which in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a foreign trip, was chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh.
The centre imposed President’s rule in Uttarakhand this month on grounds of “breakdown of governance" after a political crisis was triggered by a rebellion in the state’s ruling Congress party.
The president signed the ordinance on Thursday, a notification published on Friday said.
The budget session of Parliament was prorogued on 29 March to enable the government to promulgate the ordinance.
Soon after the notification was published, the Congress moved the Uttarakhand high court, saying the Uttarakhand legislative assembly had already passed the Appropriation Bill on 18 March.
The Uttarakhand high court asked the Centre to respond to the Congress writ petition challenging the ordinance. It asked the centre to file its response by 5 April after the Union government’s counsel Rakesh Thapaliyal sought more time from the court to furnish a reply.
Speaking after the hearing, lawyer and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal told reporters that the next hearing in the case is now scheduled for 6 April.
“The Uttarakhand assembly had constitutionally passed the Appropriation Bill reflecting people’s aspirations. This ordinance is nothing but Modi government’s sinister conspiracy to obstruct and annul implementation of public welfare schemes and programmes, funds for which were allotted in the budget," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a statement.
“The Congress party condemns the legislative dishonesty of the BJP government to deny genuine developmental aspirations of the people of Uttarakhand by first proroguing Parliament and then following the ordinance route to perpetuate illegalities," he added.
The government said on Wednesday that the Appropriation Bill had not been passed in the assembly. According to Union telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, in the absence of lawful passage of the bill, no funds can be withdrawn by the Uttarakhand government from the consolidated fund of the state.
PTI contributed to this story.
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