A report suggests that the monsoon session of Parliament may begin from August-end or early September

New Delhi:

The government is exploring the possibility of holding the monsoon session of Parliament starting from the last week of August or first week of September with the physical presence of members during proceedings, sources said today.

However, sources told news agency Press Trust of India that in the wake of rising cases of coronavirus nothing has been finalised yet and it is will be difficult to specify how the session will be held while adhering to social distancing norms.

Sources in the government told news agency PTI that the length of the session and how it to be held will depend upon the situation prevailing at the time of the beginning of the session, though the intention is to hold a full-fledged session.

There are various ordinances which need to be introduced in Parliament, therefore the session will be of normal length, the sources said.

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

The budget session of Parliament was adjourned prematurely on March 23 before its scheduled conclusion on April 3.

The sources said several options are being considered including holding the meeting of Lok Sabha in the Central Hall, with the Rajya Sabha, which has less members than the lower house, shifting to the chamber of the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, presiding officers of both houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, have been discussing holding the monsoon session of Parliament with coronavirus-induced norms like social distancing.

Both Om Birla and Venkaiah Naidu have also explored ‘virtual Parliament’ as on option in the long run.

Both the presiding officers have underscored the need to adopt technology to enable Parliament sessions to tide over situations when regular meetings are not possible.
 

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