HP Assembly longest monsoon session begins today

Shimla, Aug 1 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly longest ever monsoon session
would begin on Monday which would remain in session for ten days from August 2 to August
13, 2021 at Shimla.
Vidhan Sabha Speaker Mr Vippin Singh Parmar convened an all party meeting at Vidhan Sabha
Secretariat on Sunday and also addressed the mediapersons.
All party meeting was also attended by the Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Hans Raj
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri
Vidhan Sabha chief whip Vikram Jaryal and Deputy Chief Whip Smt Kamlesh Kumari
and CPI(M) member Rakesh Singha.
Speaker urged the leaders of all parties to extend their help to ensure the smooth functioning
of the proceedings of the house so that issues related to public interest could be discussed,
debated and legislated during the Monsoon session.
The all-party meeting also mourned the demise of Former Chief Minsiter Virbhadra Singh
and Former Vidhan Sabha Chief Whip and BJP member from Kotkhai Mr Narinder Baragta .
Addressing the mediapersons in the Vidhan Sabha during a press conference the speaker informed
that keeping the Covid pandemic in mind special arrangements of tracing, isolation and testing were
made in the session.
He said no one would be allowed to enter the house without face masks or thermal scanning
from Gate number one to 10. He said if anyone entering the Assembly complex
would be found having symptoms for covid -19 he would be shifted to Assembly dispensary where
a doctor and nurse would isolate him and would test for the pandemic.
The Vidhan Sabha complex would allow the entry of vehicles and persons on the installation of
Automated Number Plate Reading System and Headcount Camera.
He said Vidhan Sabha secretariat decided to cut down the number of entry passes from 1200 to 800
to ensure the social distancing in the house, moreover surgical masks would be provided on the
entry gate to members, mediapersons and employees.
Mr Parmar said in the house arrangement was made to ensure the following of SOP as
six feet polycarbonate sheets are being placed between every seats of members moreover only
one member of a particular newspaper, agencies and other media organizations would be allowed in the
press gallery. Camerapersons of newspapers, agencies and electronic media would be issued separate
entry pass to cover the assembly in Vidhan Sabha complex. Only 40 passes would be issued
to the general public in the audience gallery in a phased manner to ensure decongestion.
All the departments have been asked to apply for the essential ministerial staff for assembly
duty during the session.
He said there would be total ten sittings of the house from August 2 to 13 , 2012 with two days break on Saturdays and Sundays. Two days would be dedicated to private member bills or resolutions on each Thursday on August 5 & 13.
This session would be extended to ten days to complete the minimum requisite 35 sittings or meetings in an year
and to keep the Winter session short at Dharmshala in wake of third wave of Covid pandemic.
Mr Parmar said members have applied as many as 853 queries or information to discuss in the
session out of which 618 are starred questions members applied 456 online and 162 offlines queries
and 235 unstarred question( 139 online or 96 offline). Four notices were received from the members
under the rule-101 and seven under the rule 130 of assembly to discuss in the session.
The prominent issues raised by the members are about, Corona pandemic, efforts done by the government to
resolve the burning problem of increasing unemployment among youth during Covid-19, arrangement
being made to Covid affected patients in the hospitals, pathetic condition of roads during the
monsoon season, DPRs of sanctioned roads, the status of upgradation of Colleges, Schools and health
institutions, efforts being done to fill up the vacant posts of employees, tourism, horticulture and drinking
waters and about the policy for the outsource employees etc.
Mr. Sharma said session would begin with four obituary references on the first day of session including former Chief Minister and sitting member of assembly from Arki Mr Virbhadra Singh, Vidhan Sabha Chief Whip of Vidhan Sabha and sitting member of assembly from Jubbal-Kotkhai Mr Narinder Bragta and Mohan Lal and Amar Singh Chaudhary who died in between the Budget and monsoon session during this year.
The house may adjourn on the very first day of the monsoon session on the demise of two sitting members, however the house is likely to discuss the obituary references and pay tribute to the former members who died since last session.