Know 10 points as Monsoon Session of Parliament begins today amid COVID-19

New Delhi, Sept 14: The Monsoon session 2020 of Parliament will begin today amid the coronavirus pandemic. Monsoon session in Parliament is usually around mid-July, however was delayed to the corona crisis.

 

 

1) According to a press release from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the fourth session of the 17th Lok Sabha and 252nd session of Rajya Sabha is scheduled to be held today and subject to exigencies of government business, may conclude on October 1.

 

2) The session will provide a total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days (all the days including Saturdays and Sundays of the ensuing session will be working days).

 

3) There will be a four-hour session for each House each day (9 am to 1 pm for Rajya Sabha and 3 pm to 7 pm for Lok Sabha. But on the first day, only i.e. on September 14, of the Lok Sabha will meet in the morning session.

 

4) A total of 47 items (including 45 Bills and 02 financial items) have been identified for being taken up during session.

 

5) This will be the first Parliament session being held amid the pandemic. All safety measures have been taken to conduct the session as per guidelines issued for COVID-19.

 

6) The session will see measures like seating MPs in a staggered way in chambers of both Houses, as well as galleries to maintain physical distancing norms, introduction of mobile app for registering of MPs’ attendance and seats separated with poly-carbon sheets in the House.

 

7) MPs will be given packed food in the canteen during the Monsoon session. This is among the several measures that are being taken in this session in the wake of the coronavirus.In this context, a menu has been issued from the canteen of the Parliament. There will be different types of packed breakfast in the canteen for the MPs which include vegetarian food, South Indian, non-vegetarian, and combo meal. In addition, hygiene will be taken care of in the canteen.

 

8) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday has sent a safety COVID-19 kit along with a letter to all the parliamentarians amid the pandemic.

 

9) The Zero Hour will be there and the un-starred questions will be laid on the table.

 

10) The total eleven Bills replacing the ordinance namely:

 

(i)The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020.

(ii) The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Prices Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

(iii) The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

(iv) The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

(v) The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

(vi) The Insolvency & Bankruptcy (Second) Amendment Bill, 2020

( vii) The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

(viii) The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020

(ix)The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020

(x) The Salary and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020

(xi) The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are required to be passed during the ensuing Monsoon Session.

 

Along with this, few other bills are required to be passed during the ensuing Monsoon Session.