Par approves Prez rule in Jharkhand, interim budget for state

New Delhi, Feb 26: Parliament today approved the imposition of President's Rule in Jharkhand and the over Rs 9,000 crore Interim Budget for the state for 2009-10.
The statutory resolution approving the President's Rule imposed on January 19 this year and the vote on account appropriation bills, already passed by the Lok Sabha, got the Rajya Sabha's nod today.

Justifying the imposition of President's Rule, Minister of State for Home Shakeel Ahmad said in the Rajya Sabha that government had no other option as no political party or group came forward to form the government after Chief Minister Shibu Soren resigned after losing a bye-election.

He assured the House that a popular government would be installed in Jharkhand soon.

Before returning the Interim Budget, the Upper House also defeated by voice vote the Motion moved by Yashwant Sinha (BJP) opposing the Presidential Proclamation.

Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal said that happenings in the state belied the expectations of the people which they had nursed from this mineral-rich state and called for deeper introspection over it by all.

The minister claimed that the state has recorded an improvement in both tax and non-tax revenue earning as well in Credit Deposit Ratio of banks. "There has been steady growth from 2004-05 to this year," he claimed. PTI