Delhi Budget put off, Kejriwal blames MHA

Tribune News Service

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, March 20

The Delhi Budget, which was scheduled to be presented on Tuesday, has been postponed. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) hadn’t approved the Budget. The MHA approval is mandatory before the Delhi Budget is presented in the Assembly.

Kejriwal, in a TV interview, said, “Such incident has happened for the first time in the country’s history. From tomorrow, teachers, doctors and other government employees will not get their salary.”

File submitted to L-G

The MHA had refused to give its approval to the Budget through a letter sent to the Chief Secretary on March 17. The Chief Secretary kept the letter with him for three days. We have responded to MHA’s concerns and submitted the file to the L-G office. —Kailash Gahlot, Delhi finance minister

It has been learned that the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor had approved the Annual Financial Statement, 2023-2024, on March 9 and sent the file to the Chief Minister. The Delhi Government, thereafter, sought the approval of the President (as is mandated by Law), by sending a letter to the Home Ministry.

Meanwhile, Sources in L-G office said the Home Ministry had already conveyed its observations to the Delhi Government on March 17.

Meanwhile, sources in the MHA informed that Delhi’s budget outlay on advertisement was higher than infrastructural development and social development. “We had sought a clarification on this issue from the Delhi government,” they added.

Reacting to this, Delhi Government said that MHA was lying as budget on advertisement was only Rs 550 crores while Rs 22,000 crores would be spent on infrastructure.

"MHA has expressed some concerns over the Budget and refused to give its approval through a letter sent to the Chief Secretary on 17 March 2023. For some mysterious reasons, the Chief Secretary kept the letter for three days with himself. I learned about the letter on Monday afternoon. We have responded to MHA's concerns and submitted the file back to the L-G office, after CM's approved it today. The role of the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary in delaying Delhi's Budget ought to be investigated," Kailash Gahlot, Delhi Finance Minister, said