BHOPAL: Grappling with a financial crisis to fund its ambitious schemes ahead of polls, the state government is considering a special session of state assembly this month to present a supplementary budget. The budget is expected to make a provision of around Rs 5000 crore to fulfil its pre-poll commitments.

Sources said Speaker Sitasaran Sharma spoke to leader of opposition Ajay Singh to convene a special session in the coming week. However, a decision is yet to be taken on the matter.

“The Speaker called up seeking my consent to convene a special one-day session of the assembly in a month or two. But, we want discussion on ‘No Confidence Motion’ and if the government agrees to our demand, we will agree for special session,” Ajay Singh told reporters at the state Congress office on Thursday.

Sources in secretariat revealed the government was seeking release of funds to select departments to fund its ambitious welfare schemes ahead of elections. After chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made announcement recently to allocate funds for important programmes, the government had cleared supplementary estimates to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore during the monsoon session of the assembly in June.

Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme and crop insurance for farmers, fixed tariff and electricity tariff waiver under the Sambal Yojana, compensation to labourers under ‘Jan Kalyan Yojana’, housing for all and scholarship to meritorious students are some of the important schemes, can run smoothly after allocation of around Rs 5000 crore.

Sources said, “In view of assembly polls slated in November this year, only two months of August and September, are left for the government to manage funds. For, once model code of conduct comes into effect, the government cannot utilise allocated funds.

“The state government has only two months to call a special session. And this can happen only after the clearance from the state Cabinet,” MP assembly principal secretary Awadhesh Pratap Singh told TOI.

Sources in secretariat said the government was seeking support from main the Opposition — Congress — to call a one-day special session. The Cabinet will have to move a proposal for special session with the consent of the LOP.

