New Delhi, July 12

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday said preparations were in place for a safe conduct of the monsoon session of Parliament commencing July 19 in view of the Covid pandemic. He said 311 of the 540 sitting members had been fully vaccinated.

The Speaker will convened a meeting of Lok Sabha floor leaders on July 18 to discuss agendas for the 19-sitting session, which will conclude on August 13. The Speaker said fully vaccinated MPs would not have to undergo a RTPCR test to attend the proceedings, but those who haven’t been inoculated would have to take the mandatory test.

At a press conference, Birla appealed to parties to support disruption-free proceedings, crediting MPs for a record passage of 107 legislations in the five sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha held so far.

It will be the sixth session of the 17th Lok Sabha and is expected to see two private members’ Bills on population control — one by Rajya Sabha MP and another by Lok Sabha MP Ravi Kishan.

The Speaker today said the approval of 107 laws in five sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha was the best-ever legislative performance since 1952.

He announced plans to launch a Lok Sabha mobile application to benefit MPs, besides a project to link the libraries of state legislatures and Parliament. A committee chaired by the presiding officer of the Assam Assembly has prepared a report in this regard. — TNS