Monsoon session of parliament to be held from Sept 14 to Oct 1 with COVID norms in place

Observing precautions related to COVID-19, the monsoon session of the Parliament will commence on September 14 and conclude on October 1. According to sources, the decision on the dates of the session was taken in a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The government is of the opinion that conducting the monsoon session during the coronavirus pandemic in itself is a big challenge.

According to rules, the House must meet before September 23 as there cannot be a gap of more than six months between two sessions. The budget session was adjourned prematurely on March 23.

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COVID-19 precautions

Taking in stock the COVID situation, the government is looking to strictly adhere to all COVID-19 related standard operating procedures (SOPs), including social distancing and sanitization. A proposal for changing the rules for entry of journalists in the Parliament premises is also being considered owing to COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also looking to change the timings of both the Houses to prevent any overcrowding in the Parliament premises at any point of time.  There are also proposals to install an ultraviolet irradiation system in the air-conditioning unit to kill germs and viruses. 

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No Hard Copies Of Ordinances Will Be Distributed

Hard copies of ordinances will not be circulated among MPs in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to check the spread of COVID-19 and they will be given digitised version of the documents, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Monday.

A number of ordinances promulgated by the government are expected to be taken up by Parliament in the upcoming session.

"Members are informed that in view of the prevailing situation of COVID-19 pandemic and in order to check the spread of infection which may occur due to handling of physical papers, it has been decided to discontinue circulation of hard copies of ordinances with effect from the ensuing 4th Session of 17th Lok Sabha," the secretariat said in a notification.

READ: No hard copies of ordinances will be distributed in upcoming Parliament session

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