Jammu and Kashmir’s forthcoming annual budget for 2026-27, to be presented on February 6, is expected to address long-pending demands for the regularisation and wage enhancement of daily wagers and contractual employees, alongside promises of 200 free electricity units, free ration, and free gas cylinders, according to Awami Ittehad Party MLA from Langate in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, Sheikh Khurshid.
According to details received by The Chenab Times, Sheikh Khurshid, speaking to local media outlets including Kashmir Life, expressed optimism that the National Conference-led government would prioritise these issues in the budget session of the Legislative Assembly, which began on February 2 with an address by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He noted that similar concerns had been raised in previous Assembly sessions without concrete action. The MLA emphasised that both he and the people of Jammu and Kashmir anticipated tangible steps to fulfil these longstanding commitments aimed at alleviating economic hardships faced by contractual workers and vulnerable households.
Sheikh Khurshid also voiced strong disappointment with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s recent address to the Assembly. He described it as disappointing, pointing out that assurances regarding the restoration of full statehood, made in the previous year’s address, had not materialised. “Jammu and Kashmir still stands where it was one year ago,” he stated, underscoring the lack of progress on a key political demand that has remained central to regional discourse since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The Langate legislator further raised concerns over the continued detention of Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Doda, Mehraj Malik, under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Malik, the sole AAP representative in the Assembly, has been held since September 2025 following allegations related to his conduct during protests and social media activity. Sheikh Khurshid criticised the Lieutenant Governor’s remarks on strengthening democratic institutions, arguing that such statements lacked moral authority while an elected member remained incarcerated under what he called a “black law” like the PSA. “It is not just Mehraj Malik in jail, the whole Assembly is in jail until he is freed,” he asserted, calling on the House, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and Assembly authorities to take up the matter urgently.
The budget session, spanning multiple phases and expected to include extended sittings for detailed discussions, comes amid pre-budget consultations held by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also oversees the finance portfolio. These meetings involved various departments and legislators to incorporate regional priorities for inclusive growth and public welfare. The presentation on February 6 will mark the second budget of the current National Conference government since it assumed office in late 2024.
Sheikh Khurshid’s comments reflect broader expectations from opposition and independent voices in the Assembly for the budget to deliver on welfare promises while addressing political grievances. The session is anticipated to see debates on developmental allocations, employee rights, and unresolved issues tied to the Union Territory’s status, as legislators press for balanced attention to Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh divisions.
The MLA’s intervention highlights persistent challenges for contractual employees, who form a significant portion of the workforce in government and public sectors across Jammu and Kashmir. Demands for regularisation have been recurrent, with calls for wage parity and job security gaining traction amid economic pressures. Similarly, proposals for free electricity units, ration, and gas cylinders aim to provide relief to low-income families in a region where utility costs and essential supplies remain burdensome.
On the detention front, Mehraj Malik’s case has drawn attention from various quarters, with applications filed in the High Court seeking his presence in the Assembly. No resolution has been reached so far, and his absence from the ongoing session underscores tensions over the application of preventive detention laws to elected representatives.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
