Monsoon session: MPs to physically attend Parliament

Secretary generals of both Houses of Parliament were asked on Saturday to make necessary arrangements for the upcoming monsoon session, which is likely to be physically attended by members while following social distancing norms, sources said.

It was conveyed to the top officials of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that both the Houses are expected to function from their respective chambers, they said.

Presiding officers of both Houses Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday held deliberations on the logistics of organising the session in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sources said options were being explored so that both Houses could function simultaneously during the session, and not on alternate days as some sections of the media were claiming.

Sitting arrangements for parliamentarians will be made at different locations in the Parliament complex, they added.

The sources said several options were being considered, including making sitting arrangements for MPs in lobbies and galleries of both chambers, the Central Hall and the Balyogi Auditorium in the Parliament's library building.

The dates of the session are yet to be finalised.

The Monsoon Session will certainly start before September 22 as there cannot be a gap of more than six months between two sessions of Parliament, a senior government functionary said.

The budget session of Parliament was adjourned sine die prematurely on March 23 before its scheduled conclusion on April 3 due to the pandemic.