Odisha: Monsoon Assembly session to begin from Sep 18

Bhubaneswar, Aug 21 (IANS) The fourth session of the 17th Odisha Assembly is scheduled to begin from September 18.

As per an official notification issued on Thursday, this monsoon session, which concludes on September 25, will have seven working days.

Speaking to media persons, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that, as per the decision of the business advisory committee, some important bills are likely to be tabled during the upcoming session.

“We hope a fruitful discussion will be held on various issues concerning the interests of the state,” noted Mahaling.

On the other hand, the opposition parties, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Indian National Congress, are planning to corner the state government over issues such as the rising incidents of atrocities against women, farmers' grievances related to paddy procurement, the scrapping of the Metro Rail project, and more.

Senior BJD leader and the party’s chip whip in Assembly, Parmila Mallik on Thursday said, “We will raise issues highlighting the government’s failures over the past one and a half years, particularly about the problems faced by farmers and students, the rise in crimes against women, growing lawlessness, and the scrapping of the Metro Rail project. The BJD has always been fighting for the interests of the common people.”

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress is also aiming to target the state government over various issues, particularly the growing violence against women in the state during the recent period.

Speaking to media persons, senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati on Thursday alleged that the state government delayed convening the assembly session out of fear of getting cornered over the incidents of atrocities on women and students and the cases of suicide.

He further claimed that the state government has announced the start of the monsoon session from next month, as the situation has now improved.

The upcoming Assembly session is likely to witness massive uproar by the opposition on recent incidents of sexual abuse and the suicide of women and students that occurred in different parts of the state during the last couple of months.

--IANS

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