Monsoon session: Bihar govt to table 10 ordinances

PATNA: The monsoon session of the state legislature, scheduled to begin from Monday, is likely to be a one-day affair, as almost all the legislative party leaders in the assembly have agreed to wind up the four-day session on the first day itself because of Covid-19 pandemic in state.
However, the final decision on the issue of transacting all important legislative businesses in a single day would be taken in the house after a meeting of the business advisory committee, an official of the state assembly told TOI on Saturday.
“Governor Phagu Chouhan has convened both the houses for four days beginning from August 3. Only the house is empowered to make any changes in the schedule of the businesses approved by the governor,” said the official.
Earlier on Saturday, during a meeting of legislative party leaders, all political parties in the assembly agreed to transact all important legislative businesses of four days on the opening day itself and wind up the last session of the current 16th Vidhan Sabha that day itself due to Covid-19 pandemic. As per the proposal to be approved in the assembly’s business advisory committee on Monday, all legislative works would be completed in the first sitting and the house will debate the Covid-19 and flood situation in the second sitting.
A total of 10 ordinances and two bills will be laid on the table of the house on Monday, an assembly official said. Prominent ordinances and bills include Bihar Prohibition and Excise (amendment and validation) Ordinance-2020, Bihar Taxation Law (Amendment) Ordinance-2020, Bihar GST (Amendment) Ordinance-2020, Bihar Industrial Dispute Ordinance-2020, Bihar PWD Contract Dispute Arbitration Tribunal (Amendment) Bill-2020 and Bihar Agriculture Land (Change of Nature for Non-agricultural Purposes) Bill-2020.
The first supplementary budget for the current financial year (2020-21) is also on the list of businesses scheduled to be taken up in the session.
It is for the first time that a session of the Bihar legislature would be held outside the assembly premises. The session is being held at the Gyan Bhavan near Gandhi Maidan due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier in the day, Council’s acting chairperson Awadhesh Narain Singh convened a meeting of the legislative party leaders in to ensure smooth functioning of the upper house during its 195th session. Leaders of all parties agreed to hold a brief debate on the floods and Covid-19 and reduce the session to one day.
Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, parliamentary affairs minister Shravan Kumar, JD(U)’s whip Reena Yadav, Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra and RJD MLC Ram Bali Singh were among those who attended the meeting.