HP assembly to resume budget session amid ban on gatherings in state, lockdown elsewhere in country

The Himachal Pradesh assembly session will resume Monday amid a ban on any public gathering, including social, religious and political ones, and a lockdown in many states to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country.

As per the schedule announced earlier, the 68-member assembly will resume on Monday after a recess from March 15 to 22. As per the schedule, the budget session is to continue till April 1.

A complete ban has been imposed on organising any religious, cultural, political and social functions and gatherings in the state, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had stated in a statement on Saturday, requesting the public to postpone even public feasts during marriages and navratras.

A man Kshuti Prakash was on Saturday booked under section 188 of the IPC in Hamirpur district for organising a 'jagran' (religious gathering) comprising about 35 persons in violation of Section 144 of CrPC.

The assembly will resume its session amid a non-government organisation, Umang Foundation, requesting the state government to postpone the Budget session till return of the normalcy.

NGO president Ajay Srivastava told PTI that the state government should set an example for the public by postponing the assembly session till return of the normalcy.'
In his letter to CM, Singh said, "We cannot ask people to avoid gatherings and be doing the same where there will be gathering of politicians, civil servants, police officers and general public."
Uploading the letter on his Facebook page, the Congress MLA stated, "We should practice what we preach!"