Senior BJD leader and 6-time MLA Pramila Mallik Becomes First Woman Speaker of Odisha Assembly

Senior Biju Janata Dal leader Pramila Mallik was on Friday elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, becoming the first woman to occupy the prestigious post. Speaker in-charge Rajanikant Singh announced Pramila Mallik’s election at a special session held before the commencement of the monsoon session of the House. The Opposition BJP and Congress did not field any candidate for election to the speaker’s post.  

In her first speech in the House, Pramila Mallik thanked all the members and sought their cooperation for the smooth functioning of the proceedings. Mallik said she would do her best to maintain the dignity of the House.

Shri Naveen Patnaik thanked Pramila Mallik for being the first woman Speaker of the Odisha Assembly and expressed his confidence in her ability. She has been a lawmaker, a minister and the government chief whip, Shri Naveen Patnaik said, adding that her vast experience would help her perform responsibilities as a Speaker.

Odisha Govt presents Rs 28,200 crore supplementary budget in assembly

Odisha Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha tabled the supplementary budget of Rs 28,200 crore for 2023-24 in the state assembly on Friday.

The supplementary provision of Rs 28,200 crore comprises Rs 20,100 crore towards programme expenditure, Rs 2,864 crore towards administrative expenditure, Rs 4,664 crore for disaster management, and Rs 572 crore towards transfer to local bodies, Arukha said while briefing reporters outside the House.

Out of the Rs 20,100 crore towards programme expenditure, Rs 15,624 crore was allotted for implementation of State Sector Schemes (SSS), Rs 4,441 crore for Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) and Rs 35 crore for Central Sector Scheme, he said.

Arukha said provision of Rs 3,417 crore was made for the panchayati raj and drinking water department, Rs 3,336 crore allotted to education and skill development sector, and Rs 1,613 crore was provided for agriculture and allied activities.

Also, Rs 1,136 crore was allotted for ST & SC development and minority & backward class welfare, Rs 771 crore for social security, Rs 1,253 crore for Mission Shakti, and Rs 862 crore for public healthcare in the supplementary budget, he added.

Under the administrative expenditure, he said an additional fund Rs 2,864 crore has been provided to meet expenditure on salary, dearness allowance, arrear, conduct of recruitment tests and elections including police arrangements, etc.

The government has allocated funds for newly launched schemes and programmes. Provision of Rs 1,302 crore has been made for Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha programme, Rs 556 crore for Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LACCMI) scheme, Rs 210 crore for Metro rail project, Rs 21 crore for Odisha transport drivers & workers welfare scheme, and Rs 252 crore for IT connectivity to panchayats.

The finance minister informed that the state’s revenue collection and expenditure has witnessed a growth of 19 per cent and 39 per cent, respectively, till August of the financial year.

With this supplementary budget, it is projected to maintain revenue surplus, contain fiscal deficit within 3 per cent of GSDP and maintain the debt-GSDP ratio at the year-end within the mandated level of 25 per cent, he said.

Till July, 2023, the total debt burden of Odisha stood at Rs 88,487 crore (the debt to GSDP ratio is 10.27 per cent) and the interest payment to revenue receipt ratio is 1.94 per cent. The per-capita loan burden stood at Rs 19,171.

The capital outlay for the year 2023-24 will exceed 6 per cent of GSDP including the supplementary provision. This will help in boosting the economic growth and at the same time enable the state to carry forward different development and welfare programmes, he added.