Bhubaneswar: The 40-day-long winter session of the state legislature is all set to begin from today with strict adherence to the Covid-19 guidelines.
According to sources, the session will continue till December 31 and the two daily proceedings will be of four hours and 30 minutes duration each.
“Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari will table the supplementary budget of around Rs 11,200 crore for the 2020-21 fiscal year on the first day of the session,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh.
“Like the monsoon session, there will be no question hour in the winter session too. No starred questions will also be asked. The proceedings will also be held on Sundays,” said Arukh.
According to sources, the session is likely to be stormy as opposition BJP and Congress have prepared the blueprints on a number of issues to target the ruling BJD.
According to sources in the BJP, the party will raise issues like irregularities in paddy procurement, Bagala dharmasala land row, border disputes with Andhra Pradesh, hike in power tariff and two custodial deaths in the state.
“The government has completely failed in its promise for the development of the state and maintaining law and order. Naveen Patnaik should step down as the Chief Minister,” said Pradipta Kumar Nayak, Leader of Opposition.
Similarly, Congress has also prepared a strategy to put the ruling BJD on the mat. The party had convened a meeting under the chairmanship of Narasingha Mishra, leader of Congress Legislature Party in Odisha Assembly, to fine tune the strategy.
“The State Government has indulged in corruption in every field. We will strongly raise our voice against it during the winter session of the legislature,” said Tara Prasad Bahinipati, senior Congress leader.
On the other hand, Arukh said the government is ready to debate on any topic raised by the opposition pertaining to the development of the people of the state.
“I hope all political parties will participate in the discussions in the house and extend their positive cooperation for a meaningful functioning,” said Arukh.
Read more:
Odisha Assembly: Opposition Gets Battle-Ready Ahead Of Winter Session
No Question Hour During This Winter Session Of Odisha Assembly: Speaker