The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government to resubmit the Budget addressing these concerns in order to move forward after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena raised a number of administrative concerns about the proposed Budget regarding fiscal interest. The MHA statement states that under the provisions of Sections 27(1) and 30(1) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, the Annual Financial Statement (Budget) for the year 2023-23 and the second and final batch of Supplementary Demands for the year 2022-23 were received in the Ministry of Home Affairs for the prior approval of the President of India for laying them before the Legislative Assembly of Delhi.
“The Lieutenant Governor, Delhi, had raised certain concerns of administrative nature on the proposed Budget, keeping in view the fiscal interest of the National Capital Territory on which MHA vide its letter dated March 17, 2023 has requested GNCTD to resubmit the Budget addressing these concerns for taking further action. The reply from GNCTD has been awaited for the last four days,” read the MHA statement.
The Delhi government should respond right away for the sake of the citizens of Delhi, the Union Home Ministry urged. After the Aam Aadmi Party claimed on Monday that the Ministry of Home Affairs delayed the government’s Budget 2023–24, which was scheduled to be presented on Tuesday in the Delhi Assembly, the Center and the Kejriwal government in Delhi, who have been at odds on a number of issues, have now entered into a new dispute. The Home Ministry sources refuted the claims, stating that the MHA had instead asked the Delhi government for clarification because its budget allocation was concentrated on advertising rather than the infrastructure sector.
The Delhi administration responded to the MHA’s concern by claiming that the budget for the advertisement had not been increased. MHA is a liar. Delhi’s whole budget is Rs 78,800 crores. Just Rs 550 crores of this would be used for advertising, whereas Rs 22,000 crores will be used for development. The advertising budget was the same as it was the previous year. The advertising budget has not increased, according to Kailash Gahlot, the finance minister for Delhi.
According to the Delhi LG office, on March 9 VK Saxena accepted the Annual Financial Statement 2023–2024 with a few comments and forwarded the file to Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi. “Delhi Government thereafter sought the approval of President Droupadi Murmu by sending a letter to the Home Ministry. The Home Ministry conveyed its observations to the Delhi Government on March 17. The Budget was to be presented on March 21,” the LG Office stated. The LG Office further said that it is yet waiting for the file to be sent to it from the Delhi Chief Minister. Notably, Delhi’s Budget goes to the Home Ministry for approval. Only when the MHA approves the Budget, it is presented in the Delhi Assembly.
