Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media before commencement of the first day of Parliament's monsoon session, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, at Parliament House in New Delhi, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. (PTI Photo)Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday exuded confidence that Parliament will unitedly give a message that the country is standing behind the soldiers guarding India’s borders.
Modi, in his remarks to the media before the commencement of the monsoon session of the Parliament, referred to the ongoing border row with China in Ladakh and said that Indian soldiers are discharging their duties while standing guard in difficult hilly terrains with snowfall expected in the coming days and weeks.
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The Prime Minister expressed confidence that many important decisions and debates will happen in Parliament and MP’s will do “value addition” to discussions.
On the Covid-19 pandemic, he said that MPs have chosen the path of their duty and added that all precautions will be taken. “There can be no “dhilai” (laxity) till a vaccine is found for the virus, he added.
Lok Sabha was adjourned for an hour on Monday after paying tributes to former President Pranab Mukherjee, a sitting MP and 13 ex-parliamentarians who died in the recent past.
The first-of-its-kind Monsoon session being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic saw members sporting masks and following social distancing guidelines while attending the proceedings.
As soon as the House assembled for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid glowing tributes to the departed leaders and security personnel who have laid down their lives while protecting the nation since March.
Birla also remembered “Corona warriors” like doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police personnel and voluntary workers who died while fighting the pandemic.
Apart from Mukherjee, the House paid tributes to sitting MP from Tamil Nadu H Vasanthakumar, eminent vocalist Pandit Jasraj, former MPs Gurdas Singh Badal, Nepal Singh, Ajit Jogi, P Namgyal, Paras Nath Yadav, Madhav Rao Patil, Haribhau Madhav Jawale, Saroj Dubey, Lalji Tandon, Kamal Rani, Chetan Chauhan, Surendra Prakash Goel and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.
with PTI inputs