Maha Legislature Winter Session begins today

the Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature will begin today in Nagpur, where eight pending bills and 14 new bills covering a wide range of issues will be brought for consideration during the session.

The two week-long session is likely to witness noisy scenes on issues pertaining to farmers and demonetisation.

The other issues likely to be debated include the reservation demand for Maratha, Muslim and Dhangar communities, shortage of pulses and other essential commodities, law and order situation, naxal menace and load-shedding and increased power tariff.

Opposition parties yesterday boycotted the customary tea party hosted at the Chief Minister's official residence on the eve of the Winter Session.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the present situation in the field of agriculture has improved with 35 per cent incremental production in the current Kharif season.

He said the state government has taken various measures to help the farmers including introduction of the scheme of direct payment to the registered vendors for the seeds, fertilizers and other inputs.

With this, the sowing in the current Rabi season has gone up to 78 per cent so far which the highest during the last five years, he said.

Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said that the state government has also initiated an ambitious scheme for Direct Money Transfer to the bank accounts of beneficiaries instead of purchase of various items being supplied by various departments including Social Justice and Tribal Development.

The unprecedented security arrangements have been put in place with a thick security blanket surrounding the Vidhan Bhavan and residential complexes and other important places in the city.