By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: The State Government’s proposal to set up legislative council moved a step forward after getting the Cabinet’s approval on Friday. After the proposal was approved by the Cabinet at a meeting presided by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha told mediapersons that a resolution in this regard will be brought in the monsoon session of the Assembly beginning from September 4.
The resolution passed in the Assembly will be submitted to the Centre for an amendment of the Constitution. The Constitution amendment Act to be passed by the Parliament will give a concrete shape to the formation of legislative council. The proposed legislative council will have 49 members, the Minister said adding that the State will have to spend `35 crore annually for creation of the Vidhan Parishad. The members of the proposed council will get salary and allowances at par with the members of the Legislative Assembly.
As per Article 171 Clause (1) of the Constitution, the total number of members in the legislative council of a State will not exceed one-third of the number of Assembly members. Besides, the total number of members in the legislative council should be in no case less than 40. As the strength of the Odisha Assembly is 147, the total number of members in the legislative council will be 49, Arukha said.
The State Government had set up a committee in 2015 to study the resolution adopted by different states for formation of the councils, composition of council members, details of reservation of seats from different streams and other aspects of functioning of the council and submit its recommendations.
The committee, headed by Minister of State for Commerce and Transport Nrushingha Charan Sahu, had submitted its report to the Chief Minister recommending formation of the legislative council on August 3 after visiting Bihar and Telangana to study the functioning of the Legislative Councils in those states, Arukha said. The committee had also visited Maharashtra and Karnataka for the purpose.
The committee had three members from the ruling BJD, Nrusingha Charan Sahu, Pramila Mallik and Manohar Randhari and two Opposition members Bhujabal Majhi and Nitesh Gangdev of the Congress and BJP, respectively.
