New Delhi: The dates of Parliament’s Monsoon Session have been announced. It will be held from September 14 to October 1 and all precautions and health safety norms will be observed to keep India’s top legislators safe during this Covid pandemic, according to a Lok Sabha Secretariat notification issued today.
There will be no Question Hour and private members’ bills will not be taken up in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, while the Zero Hour will be restricted, notifications issued by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats said.
Sanitisation apart, social distancing and wearing of masks would be mandatory, says the notification signed by President Ram Nath Kovind. Sessions will start at 9 am and the only caveat is “subject to exigencies of business”.
The session will be held in two shifts, 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The same day, the Rajya Sabha will also convene but at a different time. The Houses will have staggered sitting to adhere to safety guidelines. There will be 18 consecutive sittings for four hours each day, without break for both houses. There will not even be weekend breaks, says the notification.
No Question Hour
While zero hour and other proceedings will be held as per schedule, there will be no question hour during the Parliament’s monsoon session due to COVID-19 pandemic.
No Private Member’s Business
In view of the request of the Government owing to prevailing extraordinary situation due to COVID-19, the Speaker has directed that no day be fixed for transaction of Private Member’s Business during the Session, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a notification.
In Lok Sabha, the last two and a half hours of a sitting on every Friday are generally allotted for transaction of “Private Members’ Business”, i.e, Private Members’ Bills and Private Members’ Resolutions. Every member of Parliament, who is not a Minister, is called a Private Member.
– India Legal Bureau