Budget Session begins today

As the Budget Session of the Delhi Assembly is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, the Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved two Bills to be introduced in the session: a Bill to amend the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) Act and another Bill to accord university status to Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT). 

According to the AAP Government, the amendment to the DUSIB Act, 2010 was necessitated as Section 2(g) of the Act is in contradiction to the Section 3(2) of National Capital Territory of Delhi laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011, passed by Parliament. 

While Section 2(g) of the DUSIB Act says that any group of jhuggis can be declared a ‘jhuggi jhopri basti’ for the purpose of rehabilitation if it is inhabited by at least by 50 households as existing on March 31, 2002. However, Section 3(2) of National Capital Territory of Delhi laws (Special Provisions) Second Act says that “the status quo has to be maintained for those encroachments existing on public land — including slum dwellers and jhuggi clusters as on January 1, 2006”.

So in a bid to cover the jhuggies which might have come from March 31, 2002 to January 1, 2006 for the purpose of rehabilitation, the Delhi Cabinet has decided to amend the Section 2(g) of DUSIB Act. The move is said to be aimed to “bring in conformity with Section 3(2) of Delhi Special laws to facilitate rehabilitation of jhuggi jhopri basti”.

The Cabinet also approved a Bill to give university status to Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology. A statement, issued by Delhi Government’s Directorate of Information & Publicity, said that the move to elevate NSIT to the status of university will provide more opportunities to Delhi-based students who otherwise have to seek avenues outside the State.

“Granting State University status to NSIT will result in considerable increase in the intake of students at Under Graduate, Post-Graduate and PhD levels over a period of time (approx. 12,000 students on the campus as against strength of around 3,500 at present). It will also help in full and efficient utilisation of the excellent infrastructure facilities and the big campus available to the Institute,” said the statement.

It added that the elevation of NSIT and its further expansion will result in the “creation of a much larger pool of competent faculty, professional engineers and researchers which will hlep in achieving excellence and would make a significant contribution towards making Delhi the ‘Technological Capital’ of India”. Both the Bills are stated to be tabled in the Assembly session that begins on Tuesday.