Special session ruled out, HP budget session opens Feb 16

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly's budget session for the 2026–27 financial year will begin on Feb 16, with governor Shiv Pratap Shukla declining the state government's request for a separate special session to discuss the discontinuation of the revenue deficit grant (RDG) by the Centre and advising that the issue be taken up during the budget session instead.Governor Shukla has approved the budget session. The legislative assembly secretariat issued the notification on Saturday, confirming this will be the 11th session of the state assembly. The session is set to begin in the afternoon with the governor's customary address, after which condolence motions and legislative business will follow, said speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania.Earlier, the state govt had requested the governor to convene a one-day special session on Feb 17 to discuss the discontinuation of the revenue deficit grant (RDG) by the central govt, as recommended by the 16th Finance Commission. However, the governor did not approve a separate session and instead advised discussing the RDG issue during the budget session. A separate notification regarding the total number of sittings and the budget presentation date by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who also holds the finance portfolio, will be issued later. Last year, the budget session was held from March 10 to 28, and the budget for 2025-26 was presented on March 17.Speaker pathania personally met the governor on Friday and, as per sources, the governor made it clear that, as per parliamentary convention, he is required to deliver his customary address at the inaugural sitting of the legislative assembly every year. CM Sukhu stated that the state govt has agreed to the governor's advice to discuss the RDG issue during the budget session.Budget expected to be stormyThe budget session is expected to be contentious and politically charged, with the state govt criticising the Centre for discontinuing the RDG, a grant the state has been receiving since 1952, stating that this will result in loss of Rs 50,000 crore to the state in next five years. The govt is also likely to raise the issue of the non-release of the Rs 1,500-crore disaster relief package, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, and the pending balance of nearly Rs 9,042 crore under the post-disaster need assessment (PDNA). Additional points of contention include the Centre's free trade agreement with New Zealand and the reduction of import duty on apples from 50% to 25%, which is going to significantly impact Himachal Pradesh's Rs 4,500 crore apple economy.On the other hand, the opposition BJP plans to target the state govt over various issues such as fiscal mismanagement, unmet pre-poll promises, law and order deterioration, unemployment, illegal mining, drug abuse, delays in elections for panchayati raj institutions and the urban local bodies, and the non-release of MLA development funds and discretionary grants.