Parliament will operate seven days a week during this session.
New Delhi:
An 18-day monsoon session of parliament begins today with unprecedented precautions against coronavirus, including staggered sessions of both houses and social distancing between MPs. A record slump in the economy, marked by the first contraction in four decades, Chinese border aggression and the Covid-19 crisis, in addition to the listed agenda of 18 bills, is likely to be discussed. An all-party meeting was not held this time due to the coronavirus outbreak, the government said Sunday. There will be four hour sessions and the parliament will operate seven days a week. Only written questions and answers will be allowed, which has greatly upset the opposition.
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The Rajya Sabha will run from 9 am to 1 pm, the Lok Sabha from 3 pm to 7 pm On the first day only, the Lok Sabha will meet in the morning session. Instead of question time, questions without stars will be put on the table, the government has said.
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The few hours and the absence of Question Time had annoyed the opposition. “This government continues to mock parliament. They have canceled Question Time, cut zero hour in half, they want to rush bills without any scrutiny and create an ordinance like never before in the last 70 years. The world and our glorious nation should know, this is very dangerous for democracy, “Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien tweeted.
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There will be 11 bills that will replace a large number of ordinances issued since March, when parliament was suspended indefinitely in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Days later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nationwide blockade.
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The bills that will replace the ordinances include the Draft Law on Trade and Trade in Agricultural Products (Promotion and Facilitation), one on the regulation of support prices, one on the Draft Law on Essential Products (Amendment), the new rule on taxes and salaries and allowances of parliamentarians and ministers.
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The new bills to be presented include three on labor laws that refer to provident funds, insurance, maternity benefits, labor disputes and unions, and industrial safety and welfare laws.
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The session, the first since the coronavirus outbreak, will take place amid massive security measures at the parliament building complex. The measures include placing the deputies in a staggered manner in the chambers of both Chambers, as well as galleries to maintain physical distancing, introduction of the mobile application to record their attendance and separate seats with polycarbonate sheets in the Chamber.
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At least seven union ministers have contracted the disease and two dozen lawmakers are recovering from it. A member of parliament and several MLAS have died. Around 200 of the 785 parliamentarians are over 65, the population vulnerable to the coronavirus.
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Before the session, all members were asked to get tested for COVID-19 and one of them tested positive. “Asking all those who have been in close contact with me in the last few days to monitor their health and get tested for any symptoms,” BJP’s Sukanta Majumdar tweeted.
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Union Minister Amit Shah, who recently recovered from the coronavirus, was admitted to the prestigious Indian Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi on Saturday night. The hospital said it was a full medical check-up before the monsoon session of parliament.
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Congress President Sonia Gandhi will not attend the first part of the monsoon session of parliament, as she left the national capital for her annual check-up abroad. While Ms Gandhi will be out of the country for at least two weeks, her son, Congressman Rahul Gandhi, who is accompanying her, is expected to return after a few days.
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