BHUBANESWAR: The Assembly was on Tuesday adjourned sine die four days ahead of schedule. Though the budget session was to continue till April 4, it was adjourned for an indefinite period with only two days left for transaction of business.
The first phase started on February 6 and continued till February 22, while the second phase started after 17-day break on March 11. The session started on a stormy note with the Opposition parties taking on the State Government over several issues.
The issues taken up during the session included the police firing at Namtara in Kendrapara district, incidents of minor motherhood in tribal residential schools in the State, land, mining and chit fund scams and worsening law and order situation in the wake of killing of RTI activists in the State.
The jaundice outbreak taking epidemic proportions following which several people died in the State put the Government on the mat. The State Government had to partially back out by announcing its decision to file a review petition before the OERC to roll back power tariff hike in the agriculture sector following growing pressure from several quarters. The BJD raised the issue of Central PSUs backing out from funding the ‘Aahar’ scheme.
Finance Minister Pradip Amat placed budget of Rs 84,487.77 crore for 2015-16 on February 16. The Appropriation Bill was passed on Tuesday in the Assembly authorising the State Government to spend around Rs 85,904,22,50,000.