Against the backdrop of Karnataka’s 50th anniversary, the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations have swept across the state, infusing it with a sense of pride and festivity. The Belgaum session, held amidst these celebrations, came to a close on Friday, with Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader adjourning the proceedings of the House indefinitely.
The second session of the 16th Vidhan Sabha commenced on December 4th at the Legislative Assembly Hall of Belagavi Suvarna Vidhansouda and concluded on December 15th. This session witnessed over 66 hours of intense activity, during which a total of 17 bills were presented and passed. Notable among these were the supplementary estimate for the year 2023-24, the mid-year review report of state finances for the same period, and the appropriation bill.
One of the highlights of the session was the unanimous passing of an official resolution, urging the central government to name four airports in the state after prominent historical figures. Additionally, a private members resolution was passed, calling for the construction of a memorial to commemorate the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival in Belagavi, the Father of the Nation.
Several important reports were tabled in the House, including the First and Interim Report of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Committee of the Karnataka Legislature for the year 2023-24, the 136th Report of the Committee on Public Enterprises, and the first report of the Committee on Private Bills and Resolutions of the Members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for the same period. Furthermore, a total of 9 notifications, 3 ordinances, 61 annual reports, 105 audit reports, and 1 audit report were presented.
Regarding the instructions issued under Rule 60, 3 out of the 4 instructions have been converted to Rule 69, and a total of 5 instructions have been discussed under Rule 69.
A total of 3,038 questions were received from MLAs. Answers were provided to 148 questions out of the 150 questions that were supposed to be answered in the House, and 2,010 questions out of the 2,206 written questions.
200 notices under Rule 351 have been accepted, and replies have been given to 110 notices. Out of the 174 attention-grabbing instructions, 140 instructions were discussed in the House.
A total of 197 notices were answered, and 31 instructions were discussed at zero time. Speaker UT Khader informed that 18 applications have been submitted.
Discussion on the development of North Karnataka: A special discussion on the development of North Karnataka took place in this Vidhan Sabha session. Forty-two MLAs spoke about the development of North Karnataka for a total of 11 hours and 4 minutes.
House’s commitment to drought management: There was a discussion in the Legislative Assembly about the drought in the state. MLAs and Ministers formulated policies on actions to be taken in a proactive manner against drought. The young MLAs raised serious issues in the House about climate change and its severity.
Cultural extravaganza for the session: This session, which began against the backdrop of Suvarna Bhram, featured a cultural extravaganza. Shastiçà and new music programs were organized in front of Suvarna Soudha by the Department of Kannada and Culture. Additionally, the golden building has been adorned with permanent colored electric lighting. On December 12, a golden celebration program was organized in front of Suvarna Soudha to commemorate 50 years of Karnataka being named.