Monsoon session of parliament to be held from Sep 14 to Oct 1 with 4-hour daily sittings & no off Days

New Delhi: The monsoon session of Parliament, which will be the first since the coronavirus lockdown was declared in March, will commence on September 14 and conclude on October 1 and will be held by observing precautions related to COVID-19, sources said on Tuesday.

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, sources told ANI.

Hectic preparations are underway for the Monsoon Session of Parliament with several first-time measures because of the COVID-19 pandemic such as staggered sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and use of both chambers and galleries to accommodate members while following physical distancing norms, officials had said.

The sources said provision has not been kept for holidays or weekly offs during the 18-day session but a final decision on “no-leaves during the entire session” will be taken at the all-party meeting.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will have 18 sittings each.

The sources said that the opposition parties are ready for 18 sittings but they want the session to be extended by a week so that there are weekly offs. The government is of the opinion that the conducting monsoon session during the coronavirus pandemic in itself is a big challenge.

It is looking to change the timings of both the Houses to prevent any overcrowding in the Parliament premises at any point of time. It is also 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. According to it, less than 30 media passes will be issued for covering the Lok Sabha proceedings while around 20 passes will be issued for covering Rajya Sabha proceedings.

The much-awaited session, for which the government has a heavy legislative agenda, has been delayed due to conditions created by COVID-19 pandemic.