PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant today said that he will present the 2025-26 State Budget on March 26.
The three-day Budget session of the Goa Legislative Assembly is scheduled from March 24-26.
"The budget will be presented on March 26, but it will be passed in the Monsoon session. A vote-on-account will be taken till that time," Sawant told reporters after attending the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting.
BAC of the Goa Legislative Assembly held its meeting to finalize the Business for the budget session
Opposition leaders have criticized the government over the short duration of the budget session, insisting that the brief session is an attempt to suppress debate on crucial issues affecting the state.
During the meeting, the opposition demanded that the Speaker should intervene to see that lengthy Assembly sessions are held.
Responding to it, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar clarified that the BAC does not decide the number of days for the Assembly session. "It is a decision taken by the government and the cabinet. The BAC only deliberates on how to conduct the business," he said.
Earlier, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, who was unable to attend the BAC meeting due to a viral infection, expressed his discontent in a letter to the Speaker.
"The manner in which BAC meetings are conducted has reduced them to a mere formality. The government first declares a short assembly session and then convenes a perfunctory BAC meeting only to fulfill procedural requirements," Sardesai wrote.
