Team Herald

PANJIM: The month-long budget session of the Goa Legislative Assembly is set to begin on Monday without the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar owing to pancreatitis illness.

PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar will present the state budget 2018-19 before State Assembly. 

Speaker Dr Pramod Sawant submitted the letter from CM Parrikar authorising Sudin Dhavalikar to present budget to Goa Governor Mridula Sinha.

The presentation of the Budget is also said to have been pre-poned, which means it would now be tabled on February 20 instead of February 22.

Sources revealed that while on first day Governor Mridula Sinha would address the Assembly followed by BAC meeting, second day would be the Budget presentation and third day would be to take Vote on Account for budget.

There is however no official confirmation as the BAC will make a formal announcement post-its meeting on Monday morning.

Speaker Pramod Sawant, who met CM in Mumbai earlier on Sunday, has convened this meeting at the Legislative Complex.

“The BAC meeting will be held tomorrow (Monday). Details of the meeting will be disclosed to the media later,” he said.

Sources however said that the meeting is called to essentially take a final decision on whether to curtail the Assembly session.

Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo had on Saturday urged the Speaker to curtail the Assembly session to four days so that CM may recuperate.

Ëven though it is mild pancreatitis, CM needs rest. I met Speaker and urged him to curtail the session to about 3-4 days in view of the indifferent health of CM,” Lobo had exclusively told Herald on Saturday.

Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar had said the party has no reservations even if the month-long Assembly session is shortened.

“We have no objection if Assembly days are curtailed. The move is on genuine ground as our CM is ill,” he said.

The session is originally to conclude on March 21 and the Legislative Assembly has received around 1608 questions, which include 996 unstarred and 612 starred questions. MLAs can submit questions till March 19.

The CLP has wished Parrikar good health and speedy recovery. 

The CLP had earlier said it was set to corner the government on its failures and wrong doings in the last one year. Issues like mining, Mhadei water diversion, coal pollution, river nationalisation, employment and social welfare schemes will rule the session.

Meanwhile, Minister Vijai Sardesai is among few others who paid a visit to the Mumbai hospital.