BHUBANESWAR: Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly Bikram Keshari Arukha has appointed BJP chief whip Mohan Charan Majhi as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in place of former Leader of Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik.
The appointment of Majhi was done in supersession of the April 2, 2022 notification of the Assembly secretariat. Majhi was named to take over the important assignment by the newly-elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party Jayanarayan Mishra who replaced Pradipta Naik on July 30. The legislature party had also made a written request to the Speaker in the monsoon session of the Assembly for appointment of Majhi as PAC Chairman.
As a matter of convention, the Leader of the Opposition is nominated as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts, one of the important Assembly committees, which examines appropriation accounts, annual financial accounts of the State government and other accounts laid before the Assembly. Naik was relieved from both the assignments as he is undergoing treatment for post-Covid complications.
Mishra expressed his inability to discharge the duty of PAC Chairman as his health is not permitting to take up strenuous assignments. The PAC Chairman is required to hold frequent meetings and tours to different parts of the State.