Bhubaneswar, Aug 20: The second phase of the Odisha Assembly's Budget session is set to resume on August 20 and will continue until September 13, with a primary focus on debating and discussing budgetary demands. The session comes after the first phase was held from July 22 to July 31.
With 84 out of 147 MLAs being newcomers, the session is expected to see a mix of fresh perspectives alongside seasoned contributions. Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker remarked on the absence of the opposition during the orientation programme for the new MLAs, where Central Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju highlighted the parliamentary traditions and praised Odisha's legislative progress.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented an Rs 2.65 lakh crore budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year on July 25, 2024. The budget represents a significant increase of nearly 15 per cent over the previous year's forecast of Rs 2.30 lakh crore.
