Rajasthan Deputy CM Diya Kumari to present 'all-inclusive' budget on Wednesday

Jaipur: Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Diya Kumari will present the first full-fledged budget of the Bhajan Lal Sharma government in the state Assembly on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Deputy CM Kumari earlier presented a Vote on Account in the Assembly on February 8. Under Article 116 of the Constitution, a Vote on Account is presented to meet essential government expenditure for a limited period until the Budget is approved. It is granted for a few months for an amount equivalent to one-sixth of the total estimation.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel on Tuesday said that it will be an "all-inclusive" budget.

"We are going to bring a long-term planning about how Rajasthan can become prosperous and developed. We do not believe in just making announcements. An effort is being made to bring a budget touching all the regions and sections of the society," he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has called a meeting of its MLAs to discuss the party's strategy during the Assembly session. At the meeting, the party legislators will also discuss the formation of a "shadow cabinet".

Rajasthan's Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tika Ram Jully said that the Congress will form a "shadow cabinet", assigning young MLAs to oversee various government departments.

In a statement, he said that the move aims to ensure that the government's functioning is monitored closely and any discrepancies are promptly addressed.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Patel told reporters that if the opposition party is forming a shadow cabinet only to disrupt the proceedings of the House and stall the bills related to development works, then "we will give a strong reply to it".

Responding to a query about his recent meeting with former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Patel said that Gehlot is from Jodhpur and has been his university friend.