No Winter Session of Parliament this year; Budget session likely in January 2021: Centre

For the first time since 1984, the winter session of the Parliament won't take place this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has confirmed. Responding to a query by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the minister said in a letter that winter months are crucial for managing the pandemic in view of rising cases in the national capital. He also said that the Government hopes to bring the Budget session forward - most probably to January. 

Citing the arrangements made by the Centre to conduct the Monsoon session amid the pandemic, Joshi said, "Winter months are very crucial for managing the pandemic because of the recent spurt in cases during this period, particularly in Delhi." He added, "I have informally contacted floor leaders of various political parties and they have expressed their concern over the ongoing pandemic and opined of doing away with winter session." Putting forth Government's intent, he said, "The govt is willing to have next session at the earliest - It would be appropriate to have Budget session in January 2021, keeping in mind unprecedented situation created due to COVID-19."

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Congress demands Winter Session

On December 2, Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urged Speaker Om Birla to convene a short winter session of the House to discuss several issues including the farmers' agitation and preparation of COVID-19 vaccine. In a letter to Birla, Chowdhury, said that the Winter Session of the House be convened with all the COVID-19 protocols in place to help the people understand the important issues the country is facing at present. Listing issues like "economic slowdown, unemployment scenario, continuous stand-off along the India-China border and unabated ceasefire violation along the India-Pakistan border", Chowdhury said, "There is a need for a thorough and transparent debate/discussion on all the above-mentioned important issues." 

Congress leader Manish Tewari had also demanded that the winter session of Parliament be convened at the earliest to debate various pressing issues facing the country like the ongoing farmers' protest against agriculture reform laws, Chinese aggression, and the COVID-19 crisis. The Lok Sabha MP from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab had said that parliamentarians owe it to the country to lead by example by not avoiding our duties because of COVID.

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COVID precautions during Monsoon session 

Amid the COVID pandemic, earlier, the Monsoon session of Parliament took place and elaborate precaution guidelines were issued. All MPs were asked to undergo a COVID test and only those with a negative report were allowed to sit in the session. The security and secretarial staff in Parliament were also asked to take coronavirus tests before their entry. While on the first day of the session, Lok Sabha sat from 9 AM to 1 PM, Rajya Sabha sat in the evening at 3 PM. On the rest of the days, Rajya Sabha sat for four hours in the morning and Lok Sabha in the evening. The chambers of both houses and the galleries were used for each of the session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and big screens were put up to enable members to see the proceedings all over the Parliament.

The DRDO provided multi-utility COVID-19 kits to all MPs. Each kit had 40 disposable masks, five N-95 masks, 20 bottles of sanitisers of 50 ml each, face shields, 40 pairs of gloves, a touch-free hook to open and close doors without touching them, herbal sanitation wipes and tea bags to enhance immunity.

The Health Ministry had suggested that the movement of Members of Parliament in chambers of both the houses can be made unidirectional to avoid face-to-face interactions. Touchless sanitisers were kept at 40 different places within the Parliament House complex, and emergency medical teams and ambulances were stationed. Question Hour during the session was cancelled and Zero Hour was held for 30 minutes. However, the session was called off early in both houses after many MPs tested positive.

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