House ready to hold 1st full session: Birla

NEW DELHI: Parliament is gearing up to hold its first full session in a year that will see some relaxations, including a revised seating arrangement for MPs, as Covid-19 cases have subsided considerably in the country. But entry of visitors, social distancing and other health norms will remain in place, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Monday after reviewing preparations ahead of the Monsoon Session that begins from July 19.

Birla said that Monsoon Session will be held at pre-Covid timings of 11 am to 6pm. He said 323 MPs of the Lower House have been fully vaccinated, with 23 members yet to take the first dose due to some medical reasons.

“Both Houses will sit simultaneously and proceedings will start from 11 am. The Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin from July 19 and conclude on

August 13,” Birla told mediapersons at the Parliament complex.

The last few sessions of Parliament functioned at reduced timings, with Rajya Sabha operating from 9 am to 1 pm, and proceedings of Lok Sabha beginning at 4pm. The curtailed timings were introduced to avoid crowding in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Calling the smooth functioning of the Monsoon Session a “big challenge”, Birla said, “Running the proceedings of the House smoothly while following Covid-19 protocols will be a big challenge. However, preparations are going on continuously at many levels, under which all MPs have been vaccinated. According to the Lok Sabha secretariat, at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine has been given to more than 500 Lok Sabha MPs so far. Along with this, all the employees of Parliament have also been vaccinated.”

“As many as 23 members have not administered any vac

cine for some reason. However, a 24-hour arrangement of conducting tests has been made in the Parliamentary complex,” the Speaker said, adding that the members who have not been vaccinated will be requested to undergo an RT-PCR test before entering the parliament premises.

“In view of Covid-19, arrangements to make the members sit at an appropriate distance will be made,” he added. During the pandemic, close to 380 meetings have been held that dealt with legislative work, Birla said.

Since the pandemic began, three sessions of Parliament were curtailed while the winter session last year had to be cancelled. The Monsoon Session, which usually starts in July, began in September last year owing to the pandemic situation.

The monsoon session is scheduled to take place from July 19 to August 13 and will have 19 business days.

The Congress-led Opposition parties have identified a host of issues, including the economic situation and spiraling fuel prices, to demand debates in the upcoming session — the first full session since the 2019 Winter Session in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior leaders from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, two key Opposition parties, told HT that the latest developments on Rafale deal, the government’s pandemic management including the vaccination strategy, and the role of Governors with an oblique reference to West Bengal, are other subjects on the Opposition list.

The Opposition expects two Short Duration discussions and as many Calling Attention debates. A Congress leader told HT last week: “Our priority would be the economic situation, job losses, price rise, and the government’s Covid manage

ment.” Another party leader added that with new developments in the Rafale deal, the Congress might be aggressive during the session to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee inquiry.

For the Trinamool, a debate on the role of the Governor is a key priority in the context of the friction and uneasiness between its government led by Mamata Banerjee and the governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, said a senior party leader said.

The Union government, too, has indicated that it will soon finalise its legislative agenda out of the 40 pending pieces of legislation and four ordinances that are in place now.

Replacing the ordinances will be the top priority, but the government managers have indicated to some opposition leaders that The Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) may be sent to a parliamentary panel for further review. Another ordinance, The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, has already lapsed.