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The session may end by the middle of next week, according to official sources. A final decision will be taken by the Cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs.
At a meeting of the business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha, which has floor leaders of all parties besides government representatives and is chaired by Speaker Om Birla, most parties favoured curtailment of the session which had started on September 14 and was scheduled to conclude on October 1.
Of late, most assemblies have had very short 1-3 day sessions and passed several bills in one day.
Two Union ministers — Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad Patel — who attended the current Parliamentary session have tested positive. Some MPs like BJP’s Vinay Sahashrabuddhe also reported their Covid positive status.
So far, 30 MPs have tested positive, including 20 after the session started.
The Lok Sabha has so far passed three bills to replace agriculture sector-related ordinances. Also, both the Houses have cleared a bill to replace an ordinance for cutting by 30 per cent the salaries of MPs to ramp up funds in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Opposition parties have conveyed to the government that conducting a full 18-day session could be a risky affair, sources said. In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus within the Parliament complex, reporters and parliamentary staff entering the premises now have to undergo the rapid antigen test mandatorily on a daily basis, according to a new protocol put in place.
Besides, members of both Houses are undergoing RT-PCR tests on regular intervals on a voluntary basis, said a senior Parliament official.
An MP can undergo the RT-PCR test as many times they like. Government officials accompanying their respective ministers during the bill discussions also have to show a negative report of RT-PCR test taken within the last 72 hours of their visit to the complex.
The budget season was curtailed in March after the outbreak of Covid-19.
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