Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday said that he is hopeful that Parliament’s Monsoon Session could be held on time, despite the Covid-19 crisis. The Monsoon Session normally begins in the last week of June or in the first week of July. "Despite COVID-19 crisis, I am hopeful that session could be held on time. But it will also depend on the situation prevailing at that time," Birla told PTI
Last year, the Monsoon Session ran between June 20 and August 7. The Speaker underlined that it was a testing time due to the COVID-19 crisis, but expressed hope that the session could be held as per normal schedule. Asked whether it will be possible to hold the session if there are strict social-distancing norms still in place in June-July, Birla said a way out could be found when that situation comes.
Few days ago Birla met Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Venkaiah Naidu and discussed on using video conference methods in the panel meetings of Parliament. Birla, on whose initiative a control room was set up in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for better coordination between states in helping people, said this experiment turned out to be very successful as elected representatives from different States got in touch with each other and helped people from their respective constituencies who are stuck in other places.
"MPs cutting across party lines reached out to people and helped them during this pandemic-forced lockdown. They should be praised and I thank them," he said. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Budget session had to be ended prematurely on March 23, over 10 days ahead of its last scheduled sitting on April 3.