Assembly allows govt to spend Rs 8,500cr sans debate

BHOPAL: The First Supplementary Budget and six important bills were passed without debate, amidst uproar, by the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday. Although Tuesday was fixed for the debate on the first supplementary budget of Rs 8,591 crore but it was passed within minutes without any member saying a word on it. Two bills and four Amendment bills were also passed without debate. They include bill on Prevention of Vexatious Litigation, State Industrial Security Force Bill, Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (Amendment) Bill, VAT (Amendment) Bill and Labour Laws (Amendment) Bill. In the Madhya Pradesh Private University Amendment Bill, PK University Shivpuri, Mandsaur University and Medicaps University have been included. In the first supplementary budget, there is provision of Rs 598 crore for Simhastha. Earlier, the state government in 2014-15 had made provision of Rs 365 crore for Simhastha and Rs 300 crore in main budget for 2015-16. A provision of Rs 600 crore for interest subsidy on short-term loans to farmers through cooperative banks has also been made in the first supplementary estimates.