Day-2 of Budget Session closes quick, passes 3 amendment Bills, receives two more

GANGTOK: The three amendment Bills introduced in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly yesterday - the Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill [CPAB], the Sikkim Transport Infrastructure Development Fund (Amendment) Bill, introduced by the Chief Minister who also holds the Home portfolio, and the Sikkim Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill introduced by the concerned Minister, Ran Bahadur Subba, were unanimously passed by the House Thursday without any discussions.
The second day of the six day-long assembly made quick work of the proceedings. None of the legislators offered any discussions and all that was left for the CM to do today was to table the motion of thanks for the Governor’s address which was passed, as were the amendment Bills tabled yesterday.

The House also saw the introduction of two new amendment Bills, the Sikkim Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill [SFRBMB] and the Sikkim Casinos (Control & Tax) Amendment Bill [SCAB], both brought in by the Chief Minister who also holds the Finance portfolio. Discussions and voting on these are scheduled for tomorrow.
The amendment in the SFRBMB is being done since the Ministry of Finance had conveyed to the State Government [vide D.O. Dated 27 December, 2010] that unless the Sikkim Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2010 was amended and specific year-wise debt-reduction targets incorporated, the debt consolidation benefits and other State-specific grants will not be released by the Government of India.
Similarly, the amendment in the SCAB explains that “casino games” mean “all or any such games of entertainment or chance as may be notified by the State Government from time to time and which are played by means of any machine or instrument”.
Further, “any amendment aggravated by any order made under section (1) may appeal to the Appellate Authority, as may be notified by the State Government, against the order within a period of 60 days from date of receipt of such order and the order passed by the Appellate Authority in appeal shall be final and shall not be called in question in any court”.