J&K CM Omar Abdullah speaks during the Budget session of the J&K Assembly, on March 6, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday (March 6, 2025) said that the government has framed the Business Rules for the Union Territory (UT) administration and forwarded it to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for the Centre’s final approval.
“We were required to frame the Business Rules. They have been framed and approved by the Cabinet around 8 p.m. on Wednesday. It has been sent to the LG. We expect it to be approved; till then, this system we consider temporary is there,” Mr. Abdullah told the J&K Assembly.
He said these Business Rules will help avoid any confusion about respect for the institution. “Dignity and respect are a must for the institution. It was sad that our Statehood was taken away,” Mr. Abdullah said.
He decried the fact that protocol for the Chief Minister is far below a Minister of State in the Union Territory.
The revised Business Rules outlined the powers and responsibilities of the Chief Minister, the Cabinet, Ministers, and Administrative Secretaries. In the UT, matters related to law and order, public order, and All India Services, remain with the LG. The amendments also define procedures to be followed in case of a disagreement between the Lieutenant Governor and the Council of Ministers or an individual Minister.
It took the Omar Abdullah government more than four months to frame the Business Rules, necessitated under the J&K Reorganisation Act. J&K was reduced to a UT in 2019 after the Centre abrogated provisions of Article 370. The UT witnessed its first Assembly elections in 2024, and Mr. Abdullah was sworn in as a Chief Minister on October 16, 2024.
Published – March 07, 2025 03:50 am IST
