Ahead of the commencement of the budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature today, 42 people, including 2 journalists and 23 Police officers who had undergone the COVID-19 test were detected positive.
On Saturday and Sunday, about 3,200 people comprising legislature staff, police and media representatives had undergone COVID-19 tests.
The session will begin on March 1 and will conclude on March 10. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will present the annual budget for 2021-22 on March 8.
Bills pertaining to departments such as revenue, higher education and home are likely to be taken up.
A draft of the Shakti Act, which provides for strict punishment for a crime against women and children, is under consideration of a joint select committee of both Houses.
The state budget session is normally held for six weeks, but in view of the current pandemic situation, it has been curtailed.
Maharashtra had been witnessing an upsurge in COVID-19 cases for the last few days.
It reported 8,293 new coronavirus cases, 3,753 recoveries, and 62 deaths in the last 24 hours, the State Health Department informed yesterday.
A total of 52,154 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state so far. As many as 20,24,704 people have recovered from the disease.
According to the state health department, the recovery rate in Maharashtra is 93.95 percent and the fatality rate is 2.42 percent.
(With inputs from agencies)