The Congress staged a walkout from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly during Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's address on the first day of the budget session on Wednesday.
The Governor's address, listing the various achievements of the State government, was interrupted by the Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihtori. When the Governor continued his address, Mr. Agnihotri and other Congress legislators staged a walk out from the House.
The lone CPM MLA Rakesh Singha, however, did not walk out. Adhering to Covid protocols, the Budget Session began in the Assembly with the Governor's address at 11 a.m. Mr. Arlekar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appreciated the State government for effective COVID-19 management and adopting natural farming at a large scale in the state. Arlekar said 66,280 youth were provided ₹39.30 lakh unemployment allowance. The Governor stated that 48,478 out of the 51,461 grievances received under the Jan Manch programme were disposed of.
The Budget Session from February 23 to March 15 will have 16 sittings. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who holds the Finance portfolio, will present his fifth budget on March 4 during the fourteenth session of the 13th Assembly.
