Bhubaneswar, February 16 Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy convened a meeting of all parties on Monday ahead of the budget session, and sought the cooperation of members from both the ruling and opposition parties to ensure smooth conduct of the proceedings in the House.
The budget session of the state assembly is scheduled to begin on Tuesday and continue until April 8, with a break from February 25 to March 8.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, his deputy K V Singh Deo, BJD deputy leader in the House, Prasanna Acharya, and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam were among those who attended the meeting held on the assembly premises.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Padhy said Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati will address the House on Tuesday, while a discussion on the motion of thanks on his address will be held for two days, on February 18 and 19.
The annual budget for the 2026-27 fiscal will be presented on February 20, and the two-day general discussion on the budget will be held on February 23 and 24. The Appropriation Bill will be tabled on March 31, the Speaker said.
After the recess, the departmentally related standing committees will submit their reports before the House on March 9, she added.
Padhy said that three days have been earmarked for government business while the same number of days has been given for private members' business during the session.
BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik, who also attended the meeting, said, "We will raise several issues, including those related to farmers, in the House as they are facing a lot of hardship in selling their paddy produce."
The details will be discussed during a meeting of the BJD legislature party later in the day, she added.
Kadam said that the Congress has requested the Speaker to remain impartial.
The party's strategy for the session would be chalked out at the CLP meeting scheduled to be held here this evening, he added.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling, after taking part in the meeting, said the meeting focused on the smooth running of the House.
"We hope all members will cooperate to run the House smoothly," he told reporters.
