Keeping the Covid protocols of social distancing, the Budget Session of Parliament will begin on Friday with the President’s address to both the Houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) seated in three different locations for the first time.
While 144 members of Parliament will be seated in the Central Hall, including the Council of Ministers, Chairpersons of various Committees of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, leaders of different parties and groups in both the Houses, former Prime Ministers and national presidents of BJP and Congress. The remaining members of Parliament will be seated in the chambers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as per the Covid induced physical distancing norms.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu took the Covid test ahead of the session and so were several members of Rajya Sabha. A total of 1,209 officials and staff of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat also was administered Covid test as part of the preparations for the Budget Session.
As many as 715 officials and staff of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, who are not directly connected with the proceedings of the House have been administered Antigen Tests, while 494 associated with the proceedings of the House have been administered RT PCR tests. None has tested positive in the Antigen Tests. This is in sharp contrast to 64 officials and staff of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat having tested positive ahead of the Monsoon Session last year.
Naidu reviewed in detail on Wednesday the preparations for the Budget Session with the Secretary General and other officials of the Secretariat. He has directed that the personal staff of the Ministers, members of Rajya Sabha and officers of the ministries visiting Parliament shall also be tested for Covid.
Rajya Sabha will meet at 3 pm on Friday and one hour after the presentation of General Budget for 2021-2022 on February 1, 2021. On the remaining days, the House will meet between 9 am and 2 pm.
Naidu has also convened a meeting of leaders of various parties and groups in the House on Sunday while the Business Advisory Committee chaired by Naidu will meet after the President of India address.
The Budget Session with 33 sittings assumes importance as General Budget for 2021-2022 is the first to be presented after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic which caused severe social and economic disruption over the last one year.
Rajya Sabha will have both Zero Hour and Question Hour during the Budget Session with Question Hour beginning at 9.30 am. Zero Hour and Question Hour were not taken up during the Monsoon Session last year as the House met for only four hours per day.to start today