Parliament to have ‘hybrid’ virtual sessions?

Team Udayavani, Jun 9, 2020, 6:52 PM IST

New Delhi:  The prospects of a routine session of Parliament have come under question with existing government buildings found inadequate to accommodate all MPs if COVID-19 physical distancing norms are to be followed, according to highly-placed sources.

With neither the central hall of Parliament nor the Vigyan Bhawan plenary hall large enough to seat all the MPs while maintaining a minimum distance of one metre, the presiding officers of both houses are learnt to have been exploring options of holding a ‘hybrid’ session of Parliament or a virtual one, the sources told PTI.

The hybrid session would allow some MPs to be present physically in Parliament with the remaining ones attending it virtually.

The sources said one of the options discussed is to enable attendance in the Chambers of both the Houses of only those many members who can be accommodated according to social distancing norms by drawing up lists of such members whose participation in various items of business is required on a daily basis.

The monsoon session of Parliament is normally held in the month of July.

At a meeting convened by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the secretary generals of both houses are learnt to have told the presiding officers that neither the central hall nor the Vigyan Bhawan plenary hall have a seating capacity to accommodate all MPs together.

The meeting was convened to review various options for holding the ensuing monsoon session of Parliament.