Jharkhand assembly's monsoon session begins

Ranchi, Aug 1 (PTI) The five-day monsoon session of the Jharkhand assembly began on Friday.

The House assembled briefly on the first day and was adjourned till August 4 after obituary references were made to eminent personalities who died recently.

Addressing the House, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto said that during the session, the first supplementary budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year will be tabled, and some bills will also be presented.

"I hope all members will play an active and positive role during the session to take Jharkhand to new heights. Our discussions and decisions will be fruitful only when they improve the lives of common people," he said.

The speaker also prayed for the good health of former chief minister Shibu Soren.

"His contribution to Jharkhand is not hidden from anyone," he said.

Soren (81) has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi for over a month.

The speaker recognised BJP's Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal as the opposition chief whip, and Dhanbad MLA Raj Sinha and Bagodar MLA Nagendra Mahto as whips.

Members of the House observed a minute's silence in memory of politicians, artists, social workers, litterateurs and common citizens who passed away recently.

Among them were former Congress MP Tilakdhari Singh, former Kerala CM VS Achuthanandan, Pope Francis, Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar and senior scientist Dr K Kasturirangan.

They also expressed condolences over the deaths of the 26 people in the Pahalgam attack and 241 people on the plane that crashed in Gujarat. PTI SAN SAN SOM