Orientation programme for newly-elected Odisha MLAs soon

By Subrat Das

Bhubaneswar: The state assembly will hold a short term orientation programme for the newly elected MLAs, said Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro.

Speaking to Odisha Sun Times, Patro said that conducting the Assembly will be a bit difficult as 70 to 80 MLAs have been elected to the House for the first time. The first timers obviously are not acquainted with the rules of business and procedures of the state assembly. So the state assembly will conduct a short term orientation programme for the first timers soon. The programme will spread over half a day.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has also been requested to sponsor a three-day orientation workshop for the new legislators, he added.

Patro, a seven-time MLA and a former minister, has been elected as the Speaker of the state assembly this time. Conducting the assembly will be a new experience for him. He, therefore, had convened a meeting of the senior MLAs of various political parties today to ensure smooth conduct of the coming Budget session, commencing from tomorrow.

The meeting was attended by former Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra, senior BJP legislators Jay Narayan Mishra and Pradipta Naik, former minister and senior BJD MLA, Debi Prasad Mishra, Government Chief Whip Pramila Maliick and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha.

There will be discussion on cyclone Fani and its aftermath, law and order situation and the problems encountered by the farmers, it was decided at the all-party meeting. The Opposition parties requested the Speaker to revive the system of two adjournment motions being discussed every day. The Speaker assured them to look into the matter.

The Budget session of the newly-constituted assembly will commence from tomorrow with the customary address of the Governor to the House. This will be followed by discussion on thanksgiving motion on Governor’s address. Then the full-fledged annual budget for the current financial year will be presented by Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari. Earlier, the vote-on-account budget for the first four months of the current year was passed by the outgoing assembly in February, prior to the general elections.

The annual budget will get the nod of the House after the discussion on the budgetary demands of the grant of a few selected departments.