(1) When a question is asked by a Member of the Legislative Assembly or of the Legislative Council, the Secretary of the Legislature will send two copies of the same to the 1[an officer not below the rank of Deputy Secretary]1 in the concerned Department without waiting for the orders of the Speaker, Chairman regarding its admission. The Secretary of that Department shall prepare replies and notes for supplementaries and the Minister-in-charge of the Department shall answer the question in the House.
(2) If, however, it is felt that the question does not relate to that Department, the Secretary of the Department shall settle the question after discussion with the Secretary of the Department to whom he feels the question should go. In case no decision is 48 arrived at by this discussion, the Secretary shall refer the matter to the Chief Secretary, whose decision shall be final. When a question is thus transferred, the case papers connected with the question shall be sent direct to the Department which it is decided should handle the question, and an intimation in a routine note of such transfer should be sent to the Secretary Legislature.
(3) When a question is of a composite nature, that is where it concerns the portfolio of more than one Minister, the Secretary, Legislature shall transmit the same to the Secretariat Department mainly concerned with it depending on the nature of the question. The Secretariat Department which so receives the question shall deal with it after collecting particulars from the other Secretariat Departments concerned and prepare draft replies. In cases where it is difficult to decide the Department which should deal with such questions, the decision of the Chief Secretary shall be sought and that decision shall be final. It shall be the responsibility of that Department to deal with such questions after collecting material from the other Secretariat Departments concerned and prepare draft replies and the note for supplementaries. The Minister-in-charge of the Department to which composite questions are sent will formally be in charge of the questions and the Department shall send replies to the Legislature Secretariat.
(4) As soon as the Speaker/Chairman Passes orders admitting the question in its original form or in an amended form, the Legislature Secretariat will forward copies thereof in duplicate to the 1[an officer not below the rank of Deputy Secretary]1 of the concerned Department.
(5) The draft reply and note for supplementaries prepared by the Department shall be amended wherever necessary in accordance with the amended question by consulting the other Departments of the Secretariat if found necessary. Answers to the questions and the note for answering supplementary questions shall be on separate sheets of paper.
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(6) Complete copies of composite questions with copies of replies and notes for answering supplementary questions shall be sent to all the Departments concerned and to the Ministers for information. Any supplementary questions on such questions relating to other Departments shall be answered by the Ministers concerned if found necessary.
1. Substituted by Notification No: DPAR 15 ARB 2018, dt. 21.11.2019. KGD Ex.
dt.21.11.2019