Odisha Assembly adjourned sine die ahead of schedule

Odisha Assembly Speaker S N Patro on Tuesday adjourned the House sine die, ending the monsoon session a day ahead of its schedule.

Odisha Assembly Speaker S N Patro on Tuesday adjourned the House sine die, ending the monsoon session a day ahead of its schedule. Opposition BJP did not participate in the proceedings during the day as a mark of protest against the "denial of opportunity" to raise issues related to farmers of the state.

Earlier in the day, both BJP and Congress members created ruckus in the assembly, with many saffron party leaders sitting on dharna in the well of the House, demanding discussion on the implementation of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme in Odisha, and a debate on the alleged mining scam. The session, which started on September 29 and was held under strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, came to an end with the members paying tribute to ex-MLA from Pipili, Pradeep Maharathy, who passed away in the early hours of October 4.

A total of seven bills were passed during the monsoon session, five being cleared in the absence of BJP members. The ones approved by the House include The Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill, The Odisha Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, The Industrial Disputes (Odisha Amendment) Bill and The Odisha Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill.

Though there was no Question Hour in the session, the members participated in the Zero Hour and unstarred questions. Only COVID-19 negative members were allowed entry into the assembly building.