BENGALURU: The government is sounding out political parties over scheduling the monsoon session of the legislature in July amid declining Covid cases.
Many senior legislators, including presiding officers, are urging the government to convene the session. Sources said the authorities are examining the possibilities of holding one in July or August.
Apart from the receding pandemic, the Centre’s decision to call the monsoon session of parliament from July 19 seems to have nudged the state government to follow suit. “It will be discussed in the cabinet and the chief minister will take the final call,” said law and parliamentary affairs minister Basavaraj Bommai.
The Covid-19 technical advisory committee (TAC) opined that the present situation is not a deterrent to holding the session. “The guidelines issued for the previous sessions hold good and a protocol to include mandatory vaccination can be added,” said TAC chairman Dr MK Sudarshan.
Basavaraj Horatti, chairman of legislative council, has gone a step further, asking the session be held at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.
“The Belagavi session could not be held after 2018 for multiple reasons. While it is important to resume the practice, the primary need is to call the monsoon session in line with the convention of convening it in June-July,” said Horatti.
As a precursor to the session, meetings of 16 standing committees, which were kept on hold due to the Covid-induced lockdown, resumed on Monday.
While the committee on public undertakings met on Wednesday to discuss the CAG findings on unproductive expenditure of PSUs, the panel on petitions met on Thursday. The committee on women and child welfare, headed by K Poornima, too met on Thursday and took stock of the measures taken to protect children against Covid-19 and preparedness for the third wave. “It is heartening to see proceedings of the standing committees have been resumed. Keeping with the positive trend, the monsoon session should also be held as early as possible,” said Viswanath Chandrashekhar Mamani, deputy speaker of legislative assembly,
However, there is no urgency to call the session in July or August as rules allow six-month gap between two sessions. Since the budget session ended on March 26, the government has time till September end to call another session. Moreover, there are no important bills pending except an amendment to the Karnataka Stamps Act that envisages reduction of stamp duty on registration flats costing below Rs 45 lakh from 5% to 3%.
“ Currently, it is important to discuss the impact of pandemic on lives and livelihoods and preparedness for the third wave. Also, issues like agriculture, rain and flood situation should be discussed,” said Mamani.
