Parliament relaxes entry into Central Hall with reduction in Covid-19 cases

The upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament will be held with proper COVID-19 protocols, said an official bulletin on Friday.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has asked members to ensure that they are vaccinated and also advised them to wear a face mask all the time.

After COVID-19 second wave, restrictions were imposed on entry to the Central Hall of the Parliament House.

However, with the reduction in the number of cases recently, it has been decided to relax the restrictions on entry into the Central Hall of Parliament.

A Parliament bulletin released by Lok Sabha reads, "In view of the reductions in COVID-19 cases in the country and consequent relaxations in access to various public facilities, it has been decided that the entry of Governors, Chief Ministers, Ministers of State Governments and Ex-MPs is permitted to the Central Hall, Parliament House."

Throughout the last one year, due to COVID-19, the Central Hall of Parliament was out of bounds for everybody apart from sitting MPs.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament will get underway on 18th July and will continue till 12 August 2022.

The government will seek to push several legislations during the session of parliament beginning and its legislative agenda includes 24 bills for passage, sources said. The first day will see voting for the presidential polls.

Some of the bills that are in the pending list include The Indian Antarctica Bill, 2022. The bill is pending in the Lok Sabha.

The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019, was passed by Lok Sabha and in the upcoming session, it is likely to be taken up in the Rajya Sabha.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was passed by Lok Sabha and is yet to be passed by Rajya Sabha.

The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 is pending in Lok Sabha, The Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019 and The National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021 are also pending in Lok Sabha.