An 18-day monsoon session of the Parliament kickstarts today with all essential precautions against Covid-19 in place, including tests of all staff and MPs, staggered seating of all MPs and social distancing norms among other measures.
In his customary address before the commencement of the session, Prime Minister Modi welcomed the MPs and thanked them for choosing the path of duty in face of the Covid-19 virus. "Jis vatavaran mei Sansad ka prarambh ho raha hai, uss mei Corona bhi hai aur Kartavya bhi hai. Sabhi sansado ne, kartavya ka rasta chuna hai. Mei sabhi sansado ko iss pehl ke lie dhanyawaad karna chahta hu aur unka Abhinandan karta hu", said the Prime Minister.
This year's monsoon session is very unique with several changes implemented due to the Covid-19 situation. An All-Party Meeting wasn't held at this time in view of the pandemic. Instead of verbal dialogue sessions during the Question Hour, only written questions and answers have been allowed, which has disappointed the opposition. Further, the seating sessions have also been limited for both houses. The Rajya Sabha will function from 9 AM to 1 PM, the Lok Sabha for 3 PM to 7 PM. Only on the first day, the Lok Sabha is meeting in the morning session. The MPs will also be seated in a staggered way in both houses of the Parliament as well as the galleries to enforce social distancing.
Technology has also come to aid, by introduction of a mobile app to register the attendance of the MPs.
With the Covid-19 mandated protocols and safety precautions all set, the legislative business of the Parliament includes 11 bills to replace ordinances enforced by the Union Government.