India News | Odisha MLAs to Undergo COVID-19 Test Ahead of Assembly Winter Session
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. All legislators and staffers of the Odisha Assembly will have to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test before the commencement of the winter session from November 20, Speaker S N Patro said on Tuesday.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 10 (PTI) All legislators and staffers of the Odisha Assembly will have to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test before the commencement of the winter session from November 20, Speaker S N Patro said on Tuesday.
A special counter will be set up on the Assembly premises for collection of samples of the lawmakers, officials and journalists from November 17, and those who test negative for the disease will be allowed to participate in the proceedings, he said.
Another round of test will be conducted during the 40-day winter session, and the dates of which will be announced later, he said after holding a meeting with officials of the Health and Family Welfare Department and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.
The COVID-19 protocols followed in the previous monsoon session of the Assembly will be in place this time, and the House will function in strict adherence to the health safety norms, he said.
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The Assembly building will be sanitised every day during the session, he said.
The Speaker said the proceedings will continue on Saturdays and Sundays, while an option for the elderly MLAs to participate in it through video conference will also be given.
As per the calendar of sittings, the Supplementary Statement of Expenditure for the year 2020-2021 will be presented in the Assembly on the first day.
"No decision has been taken on the question-hour during the winter session," Patro said.
The Appropriation Bill on the first supplementary statement on expenditure will be presented on November 29. PTI
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)