U'khand assembly conducts business for a record 12.50 hours

The Uttarakhand Assembly conducted business for a record 12 hours and 50 minutes yesterday, bringing in a supplementary list of business late at night to pass the appropriation bill on the state's annual budget worth Rs 39957.13 crore.
The Tripathi Commission report which probed the alleged Dhaincha seed scam of 2005-2006 was tabled in the House.
The reports of the Assembly's standing committees on the Lokayukta and transfer bills were also tabled in the state Assembly. They had been referred to a standing committee of the House during its last session.
The two legislations will be taken up for discussion and passage in the next session of the state Assembly which was adjourned sine die around midnight.

The committee on Lokayukta Bill has recommended reducing the tenure of the anti-corruption ombudsman and members of the body from five years to three years.
It has also recommended that the Lokayukta will give its nod to an inquiry against those kept under its ambit only when a minimum of four members approve it.

The Tripathi Commissionwhich was looking into the Dhaincha seed scam has given a clean chit to the then agriculture minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who now holds the post of chief minister, and the then agriculture secretary Om Prakash.
Confirming this, the state government's spokesman Madan Kaushik claimed that the Tripathi Commission had submitted its report to the state government in 2014 itself but it suppressed the report to keep its political adversaries under pressure.

Dhaincha seed scam is about irregularities in allocation of tenders for supply of seeds in Uttarakhand.
A supplementary list of business brought in late at night for tabling these reports sparked strong protest by Congress MLAswho rushed into the Well of the House alleging that they were kept in the dark about the sudden change in the House's agenda.
Terming it as violation of Parliamentary norms opposition members staged a walkout.
Later talking to reporters, Leader of Opposition Indira Hridayesh said if the party in power continued to violate parliamentary norms because of being in a majority, the opposition will boycott future meetings of the state Assembly's business advisory committees.