Odisha Appropriation Bill passed

Bhubaneswar: Amidst pandemonium by Opposition Congress and BJP members, the Odisha Appropriation Bill, 2013 was passed in the Assembly by a voice vote authorising issue of over Rs 61,136.15 crore out of the consolidated fund.

As members of both Congress and BJP created an uproar protesting police excess during demonstrations yesterday, the bill moved by Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya was passed by a voice vote without debate. As the Opposition legislators refrained from taking part in discussion on the appropriation bill, the Finance Minister described their action of not participating in an important measure as unhealthy for parliamentary democracy. The Bill seeks to provide for appropriation out of the consolidated fund of Odisha for 2013-14 of money to meet the grants made in advance by the assembly and the expenditure charged on the consolidated fund. The Bill was passed in post lunch session after the House was disrupted amid two adjournments over alleged police excess on opposition party activists and a journalist during a stir demanding arrest of former Law Minister Raghunath Mohanty, accused in a dowry torture case. PTI