The Budget session of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, which begins on Monday, is expected to be stormy, with several issues, including those of the farm sector, liquor trade scam concerns and various high profile cases now under CBI probe, likely to come up for discussion.
The State Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who has brought about some changes in the Cabinet recently, will have a long tough session ahead, with the Opposition Telugu Desam Party Chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, seeking to raise issues relating to farm sector and power supply among other issues.
The Assembly itself has gone in for a nice and fresh green look with an outlay of about Rs 3.2 crore. The entire seating arrangement in the House has undergone a change along with a splash of fresh colours. The House has a lot of green touch with newly done up seats, replacing maroon-coloured ones.
Apart from the seating colour, the Assembly has undergone a lot of changes, including a new audio system and mikes, and surveillance systems, which have been set up as a part of overall revamp exercise.
According to Mr Nadendla Manohar, Assembly Speaker, this change comes in after nearly 27 years. Most of the facilities in the House have outlived their utility after the Assembly building inauguration in 1985. The seating arrangement has been changed along with audio and lighting systems.
The use of green colour for seating is like seen in the British parliamentary tradition symbolising people and farmers. As per plans, by monsoon session later during the year, the Assembly would aim to go paperless with touch-screen devices for each member at his seat.
Touch-screen monitors
The entire Assembly business would be handled with the help of the touch-screen monitors. Use of papers is likely to be minimised, even though the entire process is stated to be paperless.
Apart from changing the look of the lobbies, high-security cameras would help keep vigil. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags would also be used to monitor movement. Efforts are also on to enhance security and restrict entry into the Assembly premises.