Preparations are in full swing for House session
IN PROGRESS RS chair asks officials to ensure arrangements are made by 3rd week of Aug
NEWDELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has issued directions to ensure full preparedness by the third week of August for the monsoon session of parliament, said the said Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Sunday.
Various arrangements are being made in order to ensure compliance with the social distancing norms under the corona virus-induced restrictions.
“The work is in progress at a fast pace for ensuring several additional installations in prescribed time like four large display screens in the chamber of the house. Another six small screens in four galleries of House, audio consoles in galleries, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, special cables connecting two Houses for transmission of audio-visual signals, polycarbonate sheet separating the official gallery from the chamber of the House are being put in place,” said Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
“All these arrangements mark the first of its kind session to be held in compliance with the social distancing norm under the corona virus-induced restrictions. Using the chambers and the galleries of both the Houses for holding the session being the major first of its kind in the history of Indian Parliament since 1952,” it added.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at a meeting on July 17, after detailed examination of options for holding Monsoon Session decided on using chambers and galleries of both Houses for enabling the session under prevailing restrictions. Subsequently, senior officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat held detailed discussions with all concerned agencies and firmed up the special arrangements to be made and they are being worked upon. As per the arrangements firmed up, Rajya Sabha chamber and galleries and Lok Sabha chamber will be used for seating the members of the House during the monsoon session. This includes 60 members in the chamber and 51 in the galleries of Rajya Sabha (leaving out the first row) as per the social distancing norm and the remaining 132 (including by-polls for two seats) in the chamber of Lok Sabha.
According to Rajya Sabha Secretariat, various parties will be allotted seats in the chamber and galleries of Rajya Sabha based on respective strength and the remaining will be seated in the chamber of Lok Sabha in two blocks meant for ruling parties and the others.
In the Rajya Sabha chamber, seats will be earmarked for the Prime Minister, Leader of the House, Leader of the Opposition (LOP) and leaders of other parties. Former Prime Ministers and former Leaders of the House Dr Manmohan Singh and H.d.deve Gowda besides Ramvilas Paswan and Ramdas Atshawale, being Ministers and members of the House will also have earmarked seats in the chamber of the House. Other ministers will be seated in the seats meant for the ruling party.
Four large display screens of 85” size each in the chamber and another six of 40” size each in the four galleries of the House are being installed to enable members to watch the proceedings of the House conveniently.
All the seats in the galleries are being fitted with consoles to enable participation of members in the proceedings of the House from their seats. Placards will indicate the parties accommodated in each gallery of the Rajya Sabha.
Special cables are being laid connecting the two Houses of Parliament for transmitting audiovisual signals of the proceedings both ways without any time lag to enable real-time participation of members seated in the two Houses.