COVID-19: Karnataka Assembly session to be curtailed

Bengaluru: The ongoing budget session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will be cut short as Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri announced that it will be adjourned sine die on Tuesday, amid growing demand for it to be curtailed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The House will meet at 10 am on March 24 and discuss the budget, demands of departments and supplementary estimates following which the chief minister will give his reply and it will be passed, the speaker said in the assembly on Monday.

“Also appropriation bill will be tabled and passed, after which the session will be adjourned sine die,” Kageri said.

Announcing the outcome of the Business Advisory Committee Meeting, he said the House will sit on Monday as long as possible and continue with the ongoing discussion on the budget.

The BAC met this afternoon amid growing demand from legislators cutting across party ines to postpone the session or to curtail it in view of COVIS-19 outbreak.

Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said: “adjourn today itself, we are ready to get the finance bills passed, our demand is that the session be adjourned today itself.”

Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said the opposition leader had expressed similar opinion during the BAC meeting.
But it has been decided for tomorrow following discussions and gathering every one’s view as the Chief Minister will have to reply for the discussion on the budget and the approval also has to come from the Legislative Council, he added.

The budget session that began on March two was scheduled to end on March 31.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa who holds the finance portfolio presented the 2020-21 budget on March 5.