Odisha gives approval for Legislative Council in state

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has approved a proposal for setting up a Legislative Council in the state.nnA proposal in this regard was approved at the Cabinet meeting here presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Parliamentary Affairs Minister B K Aarukha told reporters.nnA resolution will be brought in the monsoon session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly beginning from September 4 for the formation of Odisha Legislative Council, he said.nnThe proposed Legislative Council will have 49 members, the minister said adding that the state will have to spend Rs 35 crore annually for the creation of the Vidhan Parishad.nnThe members of the proposed council will get salary and allowance as given to the members of the legislative assembly.nnAs per article 171 clause (1) of the Indian Constitution, the total number of members in the Legislative Council of a state shall not exceed one third of the total number of the members in the Legislative Assembly of that state and the total number of members in the Legislative Council of a state shall in no case be less than 40.nnAs the total number of members in Odisha Assembly is 147, the total number of members in the Legislative Council will be 49, he said.nnEarlier, the state government had set up a committee in 2015 to study the Legislative Councils in other states and recommend for one in Odisha.nnThe committee led by Transport Minister Nrushingha Charan Sahu had submitted its report to the Chief Minister recommending formation of the Legislative Council in Odisha on August 3 after visiting Bihar and Telangana to study the functioning of the Legislative Councils in those states, Aarukha said.nnEarlier, the committee had also visited Maharashtra and Karnataka for the purpose.nnThe committee has three members from the ruling BJD Nrusingha Charan Sahu, Pramila Mallik and Manohar Randhari and two Opposition members Bhujabal Majhi and Nitesh Gangdev of the Congress and BJP, respectively.nnSource: Press Trust of India