The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday departed from its long-standing practice by taking up government business immediately after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather read obituary references for three former legislators.

The Speaker paid tribute to former Members of the Legislative Assembly Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Dharam Paul and Ghulam Hassan Khan at the opening of the autumn session. The House subsequently proceeded with the listed business instead of being adjourned for the day, as had traditionally been the practice.

During the obituary references, Rather read out the names and tributes to the deceased lawmakers, while no other member participated by delivering individual remarks. Members later observed a two-minute silence in their memory.

Under the earlier practice, members from different political parties would participate in obituary proceedings and the House would generally be adjourned for the day after paying homage to former legislators.

The change follows a suggestion made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the previous autumn session that the Assembly adopt the parliamentary procedure under which the Speaker alone reads obituary references, followed by a brief silence.

“When I was in Parliament, the obituary references used to involve long speeches after the Speaker’s reading, taking up an entire day,” Omar had said.

“Later, it was decided that the Speaker alone would read the references, and members would stand in silence for a minute. I think we should follow that system here too,” he had said.

The Business Advisory Committee subsequently agreed to adopt the parliamentary-style procedure for obituary references, according to reporting on an earlier Assembly sitting.

The Assembly Secretariat had already earmarked September 21 for both obituary references and government business in the provisional calendar for the current autumn session, marking a departure from the previous practice of adjourning the House after obituary references.

The revised procedure allowed the House to move to its scheduled legislative business on the opening day after paying respects to the former lawmakers.

SRINAGAR — The continuing strike by National Health Mission (NHM) employees has prompted the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir to direct hospitals and other health institutions to reorganise available manpower and duty rosters to keep essential patient-care services operational.

The Directorate has asked Medical Superintendents, Block Medical Officers and heads of institutions to ensure that all available regular staff are present and appropriately deployed.

Institutions have specifically been directed to maintain adequate manpower in critical and patient-care areas, including outpatient departments (OPDs), inpatient departments (IPDs), emergency services, labour rooms, operation theatres, diagnostic services and pharmacies.

The Directorate has also authorised adjustments to duty rosters wherever required to maintain manpower during the absence of NHM personnel.

Hospitals and other institutions have been asked to immediately report any shortage of manpower affecting essential services to the Directorate so that necessary intervention can be made.

The directions provide an indication of the operational impact of the strike, which has entered its second week after NHM employees extended their agitation by another 72 hours from September 15.

According to their association, more than 12,000 NHM employees are participating in the agitation across Jammu and Kashmir. The employees are demanding pay parity, a comprehensive policy for job security and regularisation, and social security benefits including EPF, ESI and insurance coverage.

Reports from different districts have indicated varying effects on health services. In Anantnag, around 700 NHM employees were reported to have remained off duty, with several hospitals operating with limited services.

The strike also involves personnel working under different NHM programmes, including the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme. Employees associated with the programme have said its functioning has been affected during the agitation.

NHM employees extended the strike after talks with the government failed, according to the supplied report, to produce a written assurance or a time-bound resolution of their demands.

The agitation continues across Jammu and Kashmir.

SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is set to begin its autumn session on September 21, with legislators submitting around 650 questions, 16-17 Private Member Bills and nearly 50 resolutions for consideration during the 10-day sitting.

The session is scheduled from September 21 to September 30.

The Assembly Secretariat has received around 650 questions from members. According to the supplied material, each legislator has been permitted to submit four starred and four unstarred questions for the session.

The volume of questions has been accompanied by a sizeable number of Private Member initiatives. Legislators from both the treasury and opposition benches have submitted 16-17 Private Member Bills, while around 50 Private Member Resolutions have also been received by the Secretariat.

Under the Assembly procedure, however, only seven of the submitted resolutions will be selected through a draw of lots for introduction in the House, subject to scrutiny for admissibility under the Rules.

The remaining resolutions will not be introduced during the session.

The question quota had earlier led to a dispute after Peoples Conference legislator Sajjad Gani Lone objected to the Secretariat allowing members to submit eight questions instead of the quota provided under Rule 45 for a non-Budget session.

According to the supplied material, Rule 45 provides for five starred and five unstarred questions for each member during a non-Budget session, while the Secretariat bulletin for the upcoming session permitted four starred and four unstarred questions.

Lone had urged Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to review the decision.

The Assembly’s official National e-Vidhan portal lists the September sitting as the sixth session of the J&K Legislative Assembly and carries the provisional calendar and notices issued for the autumn session.

The number of questions and Private Member initiatives is expected to place considerable demand on the House’s available time, particularly given the limited opportunities for discussion on Private Member Bills and resolutions.

The autumn session is therefore set to include not only government business but also a substantial volume of issues submitted by individual legislators for discussion and response from the administration.