Bhubaneswar, Apr 3: After a heated debate between the ruling and Opposition parties for more than 12 hours, the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Bill was passed in the State Assembly in the early hours of Thursday.
The debate concluded with the bill’s approval at around 4:30 am.
As per reports, the budget session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly was adjourned sine die shortly after the bill was passed, three days before its scheduled end.
The Assembly proceedings, which began at 10:30 am on Wednesday, continued non-stop until 7:05 am on Thursday.
Following the passage of the bill, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj expressed confidence that Odisha is set to enter a new phase in education. He also thanked all Assembly members for their participation in the discussion.
The ruling party introduced 18 amendments to the bill, but 12 of them faced opposition from BJD legislators. BJD MLA Arun Sahoo questioned the bill’s validity, arguing that it was an amendment to the 1989 bill but was introduced in 2024.
He suggested that the matter could be taken to the Supreme Court for further discussion.
