Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management bill placed in the Supplementary Budget Session, PD Rai connotes it a ‘bold step’

Gangtok, 15 September: The third session (Part-II) of the Eighth Sikkim Legislative Assembly commenced today wherein the Chief Minister Mr Pawan Chamling, who is also the Minister in charge for Finance, Revenue and Expenditure tabled and introduced two bills in the house – The Sikkim Casino (Control and Tax) Amendment Bill, Bill No 14 of 2010 and The Sikkim Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Bill, Bill No 15 of 2010, during the Legislative Budget Session.

Mr Chamling also presented the First Supplementary Demands for Grants 2010-11 during the financial business session. Discussion and voting on the grants will be carried out on 16 th September 2010.

At present, Sikkim is the state in the country which has not yet enacted the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act and passing this bill is obligatory if it wants to keep receiving central funds. With this enactment, service fiscal regulations will be put in place to further curtail wasteful expenditure and enhance transparency.
“Government of India said that it is important that all the states to legislate the bill; other states have already legislated the bill, the only last two states were West Bengal and Sikkim and it is a very welcome step of Sikkim Government and I congratulate the state Chief Minister for taking this bold step”, said the state MP, Loksabha, Mr PD Rai, after the bill was placed in the house. Furthermore the pressure has came from the 13th Finance Commission that award a link to the bill, he added.

Other two Bills namely the Sikkim Ministers, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Members of Sikkim Legislative Assembly (Salaries and Allowances) Amendment Bill, Bill No 17 of 2010 and the Sikkim Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, Bill No 18 were also introduced by Mr DN Thakarpa, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.

Discussion and voting on these four Bills will be carried out on 16th September 2010.

During the session, Chief Minister Mr Chamling also unveiled Notional (unscaled) map of Sikkim.

source:Haalkhabar.net