Date:13/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/13/stories/2008021356600100.htm

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All set for budget session of Assembly

Special Correspondent

Budget presentation on February 16
Session to continue till April 2

BHUBANESWAR: All preparations were complete for the budget session of the Assembly which begins here on Wednesday. The ruling Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine and the Congress-led Opposition were ready to face each other in the House. While the BJD and the BJP held a joint meeting on the Assembly premises to give final shape to their strategy to face the Opposition attack, the opposition parties too chalked out their plans to embarrass the government by taking various burning issues during the session.

The session would begin with the address by Governor Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare. Tight security arrangements were put in place to prevent any untoward incident during the session.

As per schedule, the budget for 2008-09 would be presented by Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai on February 16.

Cabinet decisions

The budget session will have as many as 28 sittings. It will continue till April 2.

The session will be held in two phases – first from February 13 to 23 and then from March 11 to April 2.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to counter the Opposition attack in the House, the Cabinet gave its approval to several announcements made by the Chief Minister in the past and the proposals prepared by different departments of the government.

The decisions taken at the meeting include opening of tehsil offices in all the 314 blocks of the State. As many as 159 blocks were without tehsil offices at present.

It has been decided to open 60 new tehsil offices during 2008-09 and the remaining blocks will be covered during 2009-10, the Cabinet decided.

The Cabinet also decided to regularise the service of around 8,000 para-teachers and accord Gana Shikshyak status to 21,000 education volunteers.

The meeting also decided that pani panchayats (water user associations) would be given power to collect water tax from farmers directly.

The opposition parties, however, are hoping to corner the government on various issues in the Assembly.

The issues that are likely to come up for debate are Kandhamal violence, law and order situation, suicide by farmers and irregularities in the health systems development project.