Monsoon session of Parliament: A hybrid session

Subject: Polity

Context:

Parliament is going to have hybrid monsoon session where some members being physically present in the House while others attending on a virtual platform

Concept:

• After assessing the physical and digital infrastructure for the options to conduct Parliament sessions amid the pandemic, it was found that chambers face space constraint, given the physical distancing norms, and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) that provides cyber infrastructure for the Indian government cannot enable capacity for virtual participation of all members.
• However, any change in the rules of conducting the session would require a motion to be carried in both Houses of Parliament.

Rules of Lok Sabha

• The Constituent Assembly (Legislative) Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in force immediately before the commencement of the Constitution of India were modified and adopted by the Speaker of Lok Sabha in exercise of the powers conferred on the Speaker by article 118(2) of the Constitution and published under the title “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House of the People” in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated the 17th April, 1952.
• Those Rules were amended by the Speaker from time to time on the recommendations of the Rules Committee of the House until September, 1954.
• In September, 1954, Rules Committee decided that their recommendations should be approved by the House before amendments were given effect to. Consequently, the procedure for amendment of the rules as given in rule 306 of the Fourth Edition (Rule 331 of the Present Edition) came into force with effect from the 15th October, 1954.