The Monsoon session of Parliament is going to be marked by several firsts. New procedures will be adopted in Parliament for the first time in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Several protective measures will be taken, including changes in seating arrangements, along with rules to ensure physical distancing. Rajya Sabha (RS) chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu has directed full preparedness by the third week of August.
According to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, during the sessions in both houses (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha), members will sit in both the rooms and galleries. This would be the first time in the history of the Indian Parliament since 1952 when such an arrangement would be made. 60 members will sit in the Rajya Sabha chamber and 51 in the galleries. The seating of the remaining 132 members will be arranged in the Lok Sabha chamber. The Lok Sabha Secretariat is also involved in making similar seating arrangements.
In the meantime, officials associated with the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said that different parties would be allotted seats in the Rajya Sabha Chamber and galleries based on the respective numbers and the rest would be seated in the Lok Sabha chamber. In the Rajya Sabha chamber, seats will be set for the Prime Minister, Leader of the House, Leader of Opposition and leaders of other parties. Apart from former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda, Ram Vilas Paswan and Ramdas Athawale will also sit here. On the other hand, ministers who are not members of Rajya Sabha will sit on seats designated for the ruling party.
In addition, both houses of the Parliament will be connected to audio-visual signals through special cable so that the members sitting in both the houses can be directly connected to each other. At the same time, polycarbonate sheets will separate the officers’ gallery and the chamber. Physical distancing will also be ensured between the officers and the press gallery. At the same time, Naidu has instructed the officials to ensure that the members get the least exposure to various documents. It is customary that the session has to be called as six months have passed since the last session of Parliament. Work is progressing rapidly to ensure many additional things within the stipulated time. This includes four large display screens in the house, six small screens and audio consoles in four galleries, ultraviolet disinfectant radiation, special wire between the houses for transmission of audio-video signals and the separation of the gallery from the house via polycarbonate sheets.
Earlier, in a meeting held between Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on 17 July, it was decided to use the chambers and galleries of both the houses after considering various options for holding the Parliament session. Officials said that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has been working with full preparation for the last two weeks. It is known that both houses work together. However, according to sources, this time a House will sit in the morning and another in the evening, given the extraordinary circumstances. The last budget session of Parliament was adjourned to both houses on 23 March due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
