AMN / NEW DELHI
Budget Session of Parliament will begin from January 29 to February 15, during which the Union Budget 2021 will be presented on February 1. The second part of the Budget Session will begin March 8. Both Houses of Parliament will function for four hours each day during the session.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) on Tuesday recommended that the Budget Session of Parliament be held from January 29.
As per the CCPA recommendation, President Ram Nath Kovind is likely to address the customary joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on January 29, while the Union Budget 2021-22 will be presented on February 1.
The CCPA has stated that all COVID-19-related protocols will have to be followed during the Parliament session. Both Houses will meet each day for 4 hours each due to COVID-19 protocol.
The session is likely to be stromy over the farmers’ issue protests against agri reforms, with the government deciding to do away with the Winter Session last year in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Monsoon Session, during which the contentious agri-marketing bills were passed, was also curtailed after several MPs, including ministers, tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease.
In unprecedented precautions, both Houses convened during Monsoon Session at different times to ensure social distancing. The session also saw the House doing away with the Question Hour in which members ask supplementary questions from the government. To maintain social distancing norms during the session, members of Lok Sabha were also seated in the Rajya Sabha chamber and the visitors’ gallery just above the Lok Sabha chamber. Rajya Sabha also followed a similar practice. Fibre glass shields were placed in front of each bench and on the side of the members who were not allowed to speak while standing up to avoid any possible spread of COVID-19 infection.