Bhubaneswar: Winter session of the Odisha Assembly began amid COVID-19 restrictions on Friday with obituary references to former Speaker Sarat Kar, ex-MLAs Kartikeswar Patra and Gurupada Nanda. The House also paid rich tributes to the COVID warriors.
Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro then adjourned the assembly till 3 pm, when first Supplementary Budget and Statement of Expenditure for 2020-21 are expected to be tabled.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik attended the session from his residence office via video conferencing. Arrangements have been made for other senior MLAs to participate in the proceedings in a similar manner either from their house or from the collectorate office in their respective districts.
The sitting arrangements for the other MLAs in the Assembly are in accordance with the COVID-19 guidelines.
The House will function for four-and-a-half hours in two shifts. The first session will be held from 10.30 am to 1 pm and the second session from 3 pm to 5 pm.
There will be no question hours during this session, which will conclude on December 31.
