Assembly budget session from July 1

The Gujarat Assembly’s month-long budget session will begin on July 1. Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal had issued a gazette in this regard late on Friday.

An interim budget was presented in February this year. Now, a full- scale annual budget will be presented in the next session by the new finance minister Saurabh Patel. This will be the first budget by Patel, who also holds the energy, petrochemicals, labour and employment portfolios.

In February, then finance minister Nitin Patel had made it amply clear that the Gujarat government’s budget will depend on the policy of the new government at the Centre, and hence it had to come up with vote on account.

The Union Government, too, had presented Vote on Account for the financial year 2014-15. Then, Patel had presented interim budget of Rs 1,20,390 crore and had refrained from levying or abolishing any taxes.