The monsoon session, which usually starts in mid-July, had to be deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic that saw a sweeping federal lockdown from March 25, which continues to affect select sectors such as international travel, schools and Metro trains.
According to the functionaries, the session is expected to be short but supported by unprecedented logistics and infrastructure arrangements, including ultraviolet germicidal irradiation in air-conditioning systems to kill or inactivate microorganisms, 10 display screens for live proceedings, earmarked seats for top leaders and special communication cables linking both Houses.
The length of the session has not been decided and will depend on the government’s decision to hold the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on alternate days or a staggered daily schedule. While Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are believed to favour a staggered daily schedule as it will help keep the session short and MPs from outside Delhi will spend as little time in the Capital as possible, some ministries prefer alternate days as it will be easier for them to cater to the demand of two Houses.
Officials said the government will focus on clearing the ordinances that have been passed in the past four months. The Narendra Modi government has, in recent months, brought in three ordinances to redefine the legal framework of India’s agricultural markets as a part of its Covid-19 response. It amended the Essential Commodities Act, brought a new legislation on contract farming, and changed the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) laws to allow farmers sell their produce freely.
At the same time, the Opposition will push for debate on economy, the India-China border conflict and Covid-19 management, to corner the government. The party decided to raise these three issues in different forums during Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s recent meeting with her Rajya Sabha MPs.
