No all-party meeting ahead of Monsoon Session of Parliament amid COVID-19 pandemic

In the wake of the coronavirus situation in the country, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi will not hold the all-party meeting before the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The Monsoon Session of the Parliament is scheduled to commence on Monday, September 14, and is slated to conclude on October 1.

An all-party meeting is conferred before the commencement of parliamentary sessions to discuss the agenda and set targets.
However, a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha is scheduled to be held on Sunday in the Parliament. Furthermore, there will be no question hour and private members' business during the monsoon session keeping in mind the pandemic situation.

READ |COVID-19 fears reduce WB assembly monsoon session to a single day

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COVID-19 test mandatory for parliamentarians

As per mandatory protocol, each member, employee and officials will undergo an RT-PCR COVID-19 test ahead of the session. Furthermore, the attendance of parliamentarians will be recorded through a mobile app designed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to curtail the risk of Coronavirus spread. On the first day of the Session on September 14, the Lower House will meet from 9 am to 1 pm, and sitting in the Upper House will begin at 3 pm to 7 pm. And on the following days, proceedings in Rajya Sabha will be held from 9 am till 1 pm while the time for Lok Sabha sittings has been fixed from 3 pm to 7 pm.

READ | BJP issues whip to Rajya Sabha MPs to be present on Sept 14 ahead of Monsoon Session

Govt lists new bills for Monsoon Session

Meanwhile, the government has listed 23 new bills, including 11 which seek to replace ordinances, for introduction in Parliament's Monsoon session beginning Monday. One of the ordinances the government plans to pass as a bill during the 18-day-long session relates to providing preventive measures against violence on healthcare personnel.

The ordinance makes acts of violence and harassment against healthcare personnel deployed in combating COVID-19 a non-bailable offence with a maximum punishment of seven years imprisonment and Rs 5 lakh fine. It also protects the healthcare fraternity, including doctors, nurses and ASHA workers. Another ordinance to be replaced by a bill relates to a reduction in the salary of MPs by 30 percent for a period of one year beginning April 1, 2020. The amount will be utilised in the fight against coronavirus.

READ | VP Venkaiah Naidu undergoes COVID-19 test ahead of Parliament monsoon session

(With inputs from ANI)