Odisha: All-party Meeting Held Ahead of Budget Session

Bhubaneswar: An all-party meeting was held here on Wednesday ahead of the budget session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, which is scheduled to commence on Thursday.

Leaders from different political parties attended the all-party meeting held under the chairmanship of Speaker Surama Padhy at her Chamber in the Assembly here on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling, senior BJD leader Pramila Mallik, and Congress legislative party leader Rama Chandra Kadam were present during the meeting.

Speaking to media persons after the all-party meeting, the BJD chief whip Mallik said: “Discussions were held for the smooth functioning of the Assembly during the budget session. The Governor will address the house and the budget will be tabled in Assembly. The house will function as per the procedures.”

She also welcomed the move to ensure the paperless functioning of the Assembly. Notably, all 147 MLAs have been provided with tablets to carry out their legislative duties by replacing paper documents.

The submission of notice by the legislators for asking a question, its acceptance, relevant correspondence with the concerned ministry, and receipt and processing of the information is expected to become completely paperless in the Odisha assembly.

The budget session is scheduled to have 28 working days and will continue till April 5. The annual budget for the financial year 2025-26 will be tabled in the house on February 17.