UP assembly adjourned sine die; LAD fund hiked by Rs 25 lakh

Lucknow, Dec 15 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey today adjourned the house sine die, ending the prolonged Monsoon session comprising more than a dozen sittings spread over four months.

The prolonged Monsoon sesion had started on August 21 and had 14 sittings between various intervals.

In his farewell speech, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav thanked the members of the assembly for their support in continuing the house proceedings for such a long time. He said it was difficult for the members to turn up on days the house met from their areas on several occasions.

He said his three-and-a-half year old government strived for strengthening democracy.

In a word of caution for politicians, he said it was upto them to build or break thir image in the eyes of the common man.

''Politicians are themselves responsible for tarnishing their image,'' he quipped.

On the demand of the MLAs, the CM also announced an increase in the Local Area Development (LAD) fund from the present Rs one crore per annum to Rs 1.25 crore per annum.

The members welcomed the increase in LAD funds by Rs 25 lakh by thumping their benches. the increase would be applicable from the current fiscal 2006-07.

Earlier in the day, the CM tabled the fifth vote on account for the first four months of the next fiscal 2007-08.

The assembly passed the vote of account for the next fiscal amounting to Rs 24, 559 crore which the Chief Minister said should be considered as a fresh vote of confindence for his three-and-a-half year old government.

This is for the fifth time that the ruling Samajwadi Party dispensation has sought a vote of confidence on the floor of the house, amidst speculations that the Centre may impose President's rule in the state ahead of assembly elections due early next year.

The state cabinet has already cleared the proposal for seeking the approval from the assembly for the vote on account for the first four months (April-July, 2007) of the next fiscal 2007-08. The vote on account was passed by a voice vote soon after it was tabled bythe chief minister.

This was the fifth finance bill to be presented in the assembly by the present government during the current fiscal in 2006. The main budget for 2006-07 was passed in March, while within next two months, the government brough the first supplementary budget in may followed by the second one in August and third in October.

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