New Karnataka assembly's first session begins

The first session of Karnataka's newly-elected 15th assembly began here on Monday with Governor Vajubhai Vala addressing the joint session of the legislature in Hindi.

During the 10-day-long session, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will present a full-fledged budget of the new coalition government for fiscal 2018-19 on July 5.

On the Governor's choice of language, an official told IANS that as he "is comfortable reading his speech in Hindi, he has been addressing in the assembly in the language since he assumed office in September 2014".

The official language of the southern state is Kannada.

The legislators, however, were given Kannada and English versions of Vala's address as he began to read in Hindi.

However, for some legislators from central and northern regions who are acquainted with Hindi, a copy of Vala's address was also made available to them in the same language, while many of the remaining lawmakers preferred to go through the Kannada version, said the official.

Though the new assembly met twice during May for the floor test of the 3-day BJP government first on May 19 and the coalition government of the JD-S and Congress on May 25, they were adjourned on the same respective day.

--IANS

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