KNO Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 31: The Jammu and Kashmir government is planning to convene the 2026 budget session of the Legislative Assembly in two distinct phases, with a recess during the holy month of Ramadhan, according to highly placed sources.
Sources said the NC-led government is actively deliberating a proposal under which the budget session would begin before the start of Ramadhan and resume after Eid-ul-Fitr, allowing legislators and officials to observe the holy month without interruption to legislative business.
If the plan materialises, the first phase of the session is likely to commence in the first week of February 2026. During this phase, key legislative business, including the presentation and initial discussion of the annual budget, is expected to take place. With the onset of Ramadhan, the Assembly would then adjourn for a month-long recess.
Sources familiar with the discussions revealed that the tentative plan envisages the Assembly going into recess around February 18 or 19. Following the conclusion of Ramadhan and the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr, the House would reconvene to complete the remaining business of the budget session, including detailed debates on demands for grants and the passage of the budget.
The proposed two-part structure is being considered to strike a balance between constitutional obligations related to the budget and the religious sensitivities associated with the fasting month, a practice that has been followed in earlier years as well.
According to sources, the final decision on the schedule is likely to be taken at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers, which is expected to be held after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah returns from his foreign visit. During this meeting, the cabinet is likely to formally recommend the convening of the budget session to the Lieutenant Governor, whose approval is required for summoning the Assembly.
Meanwhile, preparations for the financial exercise are already well underway. The Finance Department initiated the budget-making process for the 2026–27 financial year as early as October 2025, directing all administrative departments to submit their budget estimates for the upcoming fiscal year along with revised estimates for the current year.
Sources said that the Finance Department has since completed detailed budget discussions with all departments, laying the groundwork for the formulation of the annual financial statement.
It is pertinent to note that the budget for the current financial year, 2025–26, was presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, in the Legislative Assembly on March 7, 2025.
