Parliament winter session sans Covid restrictions on Dec 7, first since pandemic

The Winter Session of Parliament will be held from December 7 to December 29 this year, said Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. There will be a total of 17 working days in the upcoming Winter Session.

New Delhi :The winter session of Parliament will be held from December 7 to December 29 this year, said Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. "There will be a total of 17 working days in the upcoming winter session. Winter session, 2022 of Parliament will commence from December 7," the Minister said in a tweet.

The session will have 17 sittings spread over 23 days till December 29. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to discussions on Legislative Business and other items during the session. Looking forward for constructive debate, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.

The first day of the upcoming session is likely to be adjourned in the wake of the death of sitting members. Amongst the sitting MPs who passed away recently include Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. Since the Covid numbers have declined significantly and most members and staff of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariat are completely vaccinated, the session is likely to convene without any major Covid-induced restrictions, ANI reported quoting sources.

This will be the first session during which Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, will officiate proceedings in the Upper House. The government will draw up a list of Bills to be passed during the upcoming session while the Opposition will demand a discussion on pressing matters.

The Monsoon Session commenced on July 18 and adjourned on August 8. The session saw 16 sessions spread over a period of 22 days. During the session, six Bills were introduced in Lok Sabha. Seven Bills were passed by Lok Sabha and 5 bills by the Rajya Sabha during the last session. One Bill was withdrawn.

The total number of Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament during the session was 5. During the last session, 5 short-term duration discussions were placed including price rise in both Houses. The productivity of the Lok Sabha was approximately 48 per cent and that of the Rajya Sabha 44 per cent.