Odisha Assembly

BJD, Congress walk out of Odisha Assembly over mass ration card cuts

Opposition BJD and Congress members on Saturday walked out of the Odisha Assembly in protest against the cancellation of over eight lakh ration cards of poor people, a charge denied by the state government. The issue was raised in the Assembly through a debate on the admissibility of an adjournment motion moved by BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik, leading to a heated exchange between opposition and treasury benches. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister KC Patra rejected the allegation, saying the state had so far cancelled 8,16,056 ration cards through e-KYC verification. "Of the total cancelled cards, 6,95,530 belonged to deceased persons, 75,030 to government employees, and 45,496 to Income Tax payees. What is wrong in cancelling ineligible cards? he asked, adding that the move saved the state Rs 210 crore in a year. The minister informed the House that the the government had set a target to identify 13.5 lakh new beneficiaries in rural areas and 1.5 lakh in urban areas to is

President Droupadi Murmu to make historic address in Odisha assembly today

Droupadi Murmu is set to script history on Thursday by becoming the first President to address the Odisha assembly during her two-day visit to the state, officials said. Murmu is scheduled to address members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm, Speaker Surama Padhy said. The President hails from Odisha, and is a former member of the assembly. Murmu will arrive at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here at 2 pm and reach the Raj Bhavan at 2.20 pm to inaugurate the Kalinga Atithi Nivas, the officials said. She was elected to the Odisha assembly from the Rairangpur seat in Mayurbhanj district twice 2000 and 2004. Padhy said Murmu will be the first President to visit and address the Odisha Assembly. Murmu was also a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha. The President will also visit room number 11, the chamber in the assembly from where she functioned as a minister. She served as an MoS with independent charge for Commerce and Transport

Odisha speaker rejects Congress no-confidence motion against BJP govt

Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy on Monday rejected the opposition Congress's notice seeking to move a no-confidence motion' against the 15-month-old BJP government in the state. While rejecting the notice, Padhy said it could not be moved in the House due to continuous disruption of the proceedings for three previous days. The Congress claimed that the notice was rejected without any valid reason and started a dharna on the Assembly premises. The Speaker said that the Congress had submitted the notice to the Assembly secretary on September 18 and she had asked the authorities to bring it for discussion the next day. However, the notice could not be taken up due to continuous ruckus in the House. The Congress Legislature Party which has 14 members had submitted the no-confidence notice with signatures of 15 MLAs including one from the CPI (M). The Congress had also requested BJD to support the no-confidence notice against the BJP government for its alleged all out failure in .

BJD MLAs disrupt Odisha assembly over alleged 'fertiliser scarcity'

BJD MLAs created ruckus in the Odisha assembly for the third consecutive day on Saturday over alleged fertiliser scarcity across the state, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings till 4 pm. The party MLAs, holding placards and banners highlighting the fertiliser crisis and farmers' distress in the state, trooped into the well of the House and demanded a full-fledged discussion on the issue. Meanwhile, the House made an obituary reference to former MLA George Tirkey, who died on Friday night. The opposition members continued to raise their voices against the state's BJP government and blamed it for the farmers' distress. Unable to run the House, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm. The BJD members demanded that the Speaker cancel all the business of the House, including Question Hour, and hold a detailed discussion on the alleged fertiliser scarcity in the state. They claimed that the alleged fertiliser scarcity was due to black marketing and hoardin

Suspended Cong MLAs forcibly 'evicted' from Odisha Assembly, claim leaders

The suspended Congress MLAs, who were staging a sit-in the Well of the House protesting action against them, were forcibly evicted from the Assembly and dropped near the Congress Bhawan, a party leader alleged on Wednesday. The MLAs were "forcibly evicted" from the Assembly on Tuesday night and they had to spend the night on the street at Master Canteen, he said. "We were manhandled and forcibly evicted from the Assembly at the dead of the night. This is grossly illegal and undemocratic," alleged party MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, one of the two Congress MLAs who was not suspended. Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das and AICC in-charge of Odisha, Ajay Kumar Lallu are sitting on dharna in the Master Canteen area on Wednesday protesting the suspension of 12 party MLAs. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam alleged that the party MLAs during their stay in the Assembly, were denied food, water and even toilet facility. Kadam was injured in the Assembly on ...

Odisha Assembly adjourned amid uproar over mango kernel deaths

The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday was adjourned for about an hour as opposition BJD and Congress members shouted slogans over the death of three tribal women by eating mango kernel gruel allegedly due to lack of foodgrain. As soon as the House made obituary reference to six ex-members, Speaker Surama Padhy allowed Question House. However, the BJD and Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House and protested the death of tribal women in Kandhamal district. The members raised slogans against the Mohan Charan Majhi government accusing it of failing to streamline public distribution system for which the people at Mandipanka village in Kandhamal district faced food scarcity leading to the death of three tribal women. As the din continued in the well of the House, the Speaker adjourned the proceeding till 12.25 pm. Earlier, Leader of the House and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi moved an obituary reference and the House paid tribute to six of its ex-members. The obituary reference wa

Revenue implication of Rs 4,162 cr as Odisha's iron-ore grade declined: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) which conducted an audit of six iron-ore mines in Odisha has observed that after the auction of the selected mines, there was an "abrupt and abnormal decline in the grade of iron-ore and its classification", as reported by new lessees. "The decline of grade of iron ore has resulted in a revenue implication of approximately Rs 4,162.77 crore for the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 in the form of lesser royalty and premium (post auction)", the CAG said in its report No 6 of the year 2024, which was laid before the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday. Though more than 83 per cent production was reported in the grade of 62-65 per cent Fe (iron) in the pre-auction period, the same came down to approximately 16 per cent in the two years after auction (2020-2022), it said. Similarly, the auditor said, the share of grades 60 per cent Fe and below went up from approximately 11 per cent of total production to more than 60 per cent of total ...

Odisha passes appropriation bill for Rs 95,000 cr, house to meet on Aug 20

The Assembly on Wednesday passed the Odisha Appropriation (Vote-on-Account No.2) Bill, 2024, which authorises the state government to withdraw Rs 95,000 crore from the Consolidated Fund for use in August and September of the current 25 financial year. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also oversees the finance department, presented the Bill. It was passed by a voice vote despite protests from the Opposition, including members of the BJD and Congress, who walked out. This is the second Vote-on-Account passed within the same financial year. The first was approved in February, covering the months of April, May, June, and July. Since the current Vote-on-Account expires on Wednesday, July 31, well before the budget's passage, the state introduced this second Vote-on-Account to cover expenditures for August and September. Before the House passed the Bill, Majhi explained, "I have presented a Bill of Rs 95,000 crore for the House's approval. This appropriation includes 30 per cent ...

Who is Mohan Charan Majhi? Key details about Odisha's 15th Chief Minister

Replacing former BJD CM Naveen Patnaik, Mohan Majhi was named the Chief Minister of Odisha after BJP swept the 2024 Assembly polls in Odisha

'Pandian not my successor, people of Odisha to decide': Naveen Patnaik

The Biju Janata Dal suffered a defeat in the Odisha assembly polls at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party, putting an end to the 24-year-old reign of Naveen Patnaik

Odisha CM likely to be chosen in BJP Parliamentary Party meet on June 7

The chief minister of Odisha's maiden government of the BJP is likely to be selected during its Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi on Friday, leaders of the saffron camp said. The BJP trounced the BJD, which was ruling the state for 24 years in a row, winning 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. Three of these 78 MLAs were ministers in the state earlier but it is not essential that the chief minister would be chosen from among the new assembly members only, a senior BJP leader said on Thursday. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was elected from Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, however, is also one of the front-runners for the chief minister's job. Besides him, names of senior MLAs Suresh Pujari, Jayanarayan Mishra and K V Singh Deo are also doing the rounds as probable candidates for the chair. "The Parliamentary Party is the highest decision-making body of the BJP and it will meet in New Delhi tomorrow," Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said. The Parliamentary

Odisha Election Results: How did BJP end Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year rule?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s prediction that June 4 would be the expiry date for Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year rule in Odisha just got real! he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 78 seats in the 147-member

Naveen Patnaik resigns as CM day after BJP wins Odisha Assembly elections

Naveen Patnaik's resignation comes after his party, BJD, managed to secure only about 50 seats, falling significantly short of the majority mark of 74 seats in the 147-member Assembly

Odisha election result 2024: BJP crosses majority mark, BJD trails behind

In Odisha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has surpassed the halfway mark, while the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Naveen Patnaik is currently trailing

Odisha Assembly polls: BJP challenges Naveen Patnaik's BJD in tight race

The BJP is leading in 73 seats in Odisha, followed by Patnaik-Biju Janata Dal at 50 seats and Congress is leading in 13 seats, shows the trend on Election Commission website available for 138 seats

2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly elections: Here's all you need to know

As voting is currently underway in the fourth phase of the Odisha Assembly polls 2024, here's a quick look at the assembly seats, polling dates and key candidates

Odisha election: What is Jagannath Temple-linked 'missing keys' controversy

The keys of inner Ratna Bhandar, the treasure trove of the Jagannath Temple in Puri, are missing since 2018. This issue is BJP's key poll planks in Odisha as it aims to oust the Patnaik government

LS polls: 2 former India hockey team captains fighting elections in Odisha

They have played captain innings in astroturf while representing the Indian hockey team, but this time they are trying their luck in the electoral battlefield in Sundergarh district, often referred to as the cradle of hockey in Odisha. They are Hockey India president and former Rajya Sabha MP Dilip Tirkey and ex-Indian hockey team captain Prabodh Tirkey. While Dilip Tirkey is the ruling Biju Janata Dal candidate for the Sundergarh (ST) Lok Sabha constituency, his junior and former India hockey captain, Prabodh Tirkey is the Congress candidate from the Talsara (ST) assembly segment also in Sundergarh district. Both the BJD and Congress have picked Dilip Tirkey and Prabodh Tirkey in the electoral battle as Sundergarh is known as the cradle of hockey in the state and the game is very popular among the masses. According to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, "Hockey is a way of life in tribal-dominated Sundergarh where toddlers start walking with hockey sticks." Dilip Tirkey, 46, is

LS polls highlights: Bihar leader Pappu Yadav joins Congress in Delhi

Lok Sabha elections 2024 updates: Catch all the latest updates on the announcements related to General Elections here

Odisha govt presents Rs 1.18 trillion vote-on-account in Assembly

Noting that Odisha has now become more than a 100 billion dollar economy, Odisha Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha Thursday presented an interim budget of Rs 1.18 lakh crore for the first four months of the 2024-25 fiscal in the assembly. The state government has presented a vote-on-account instead of a full budget in view of the upcoming elections to the Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly. The government estimated that the total budget outlay for the next financial year will be Rs 2.55 lakh crore, which is about 11 per cent more than the annual budget of 2023-24. Keeping in view the requirement of funds for expenditure on payment of salary, pension, interest payment, repayment of principal, relief, old age pension, scholarship of ST & SC students and other on-going scheme and programmes, a sum of Rs 1,18,000 crore is proposed in the vote on account, the minister said in the House. Of the total Rs 2.55 crore provision, Rs 1,03,500 crore has been allocated for administrative ...