Odisha Assembly's budget session concludes five days ahead of schedule

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Legislative Assembly's budget session concluded prematurely on Tuesday night, ahead of its scheduled time. The session was to continue until April 8, but it was adjourned with five days still remaining. The session, which began on February 17, saw proceedings spanning 22 days in two phases. On February 20, Chief Minister Mohan Chandra Mahji presented the budget for 2026-27. On the last day of the session, a discussion was held on the Appropriation Bill (a bill for approval of expenditures) and it was passed.

However, the House witnessed repeated disruptions throughout the session. In the first phase, the opposition protested against the chaos in farmers' markets, which affected the House's proceedings for several days. In the second phase, the opposition continued their protest for nine consecutive days, demanding the resignation of the Health Minister over the SCB fire incident, which disrupted the normal functioning of the House.

On Tuesday, the last day of the session, the Odisha Universities (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Bill was passed after a nearly four-hour discussion. Meanwhile, bills related to the salary hike of ministers and MLAs and the pension increase of former MLAs were withdrawn for reconsideration. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the bill was withdrawn due to objections from several members.

At the conclusion of the session, the Chief Minister thanked all members. Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik and Congress MLA Ashok Das also expressed gratitude on behalf of their respective parties. Finally, at 12:41 pm, Speaker Surma Padhi adjourned the House's proceedings indefinitely.