Parliament's Monsoon Session: 25 MPs test COVID-19 positive on Day 1; Parvesh Verma, Meenakshi Lekhi among affected

Right on Day 1 of the Parliament's Monsoon Session, 25 Lok Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs) have tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) amid the pandemic outbreak that is spreading across India like wildfire. Among the infected are legislators like Anant Hegde, Parvesh Verma, and Meenakshi Lekhi.

According to reports, the maximum number of COVID-19-infected legislators hail from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Among those who tested positive for COVID-19, 12 are from BJP, two from YRS Congress Party whose MPs represent seats from Andhra Pradesh, while one legislator each from Shiv Sena, DMK, and RSP have also tested positive for COVID-19.

Among the BJP legislators who have tested positive for COVID-19 on Day 1 of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament are Parvesh Verma and Meenakshi Lekhi. News agencies reported that Anant Kumar Hegde, BJP MP from Karnataka, has also tested positive for COVID-19.

Legislators who have been detected COVID-19 positive include Pratap Rao Jadav, Janardan Singh, Sukhbir Singh, Sukanata Majumdar, Goddeti Madhavi, Bidyut Baran, Hanuman Beniwal, Pradan Baruah, N. Reddeppa, Selvam G, Pratap Rao Patil, Ram Shankar Katheria, Satya Pal Singh and Rodmal Nagar.

The Lok Sabha on Monday was adjourned till 3 pm tomorrow.

The monsoon session 2020 of the Parliament, which commenced today, was the first Parliament session held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All safety measures had been initiated to conduct the session as per health guidelines amid COVID-19.

 In a first of its kind initiative, the members of Parliament also marked their attendance through an app on Monday, according to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The Lok Sabha members were tested at the Parliament House on September 13 and 14-- a during a mandatory test for those attending this year`s Monsoon Session which will end on October 1.

The results come at a time when India on Monday registered 48,464,27 Covid-19 cases across the country with a massive spike of 92,071 cases including 1,136 deaths in 24 hours.

Speaker Om Birla today welcomed the MPs and said that it was an extraordinary occasion and urged them to follow all arrangements and guidelines for safety during the COVID-19 pandemic phase.

"The session is being held in extraordinary circumstances this time. While we always try to decrease the distances between the members, but this time arrangements have been made to keep them apart. I am aware of the discomfort caused to some members due to this but it is important to do so for safety," Birla had said.

Ahead of the commencement of the monsoon session of Parliament, sanitisation work was underway at Parliament premises.

Workers at the premises were seen disinfecting the area by spraying sanitisers outside the building, as a precautionary measure in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. All safety measures had been taken to conduct the session as per guidelines issued for COVID-19.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the session will provide a total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days (all the days including Saturdays and Sundays of the ensuing session will be working days) and a total of 47 items have been identified for being taken up during the Monsoon Session 2020 (including 45 Bills and two financial items).

All safety measures have been taken to conduct the session as per guidelines issued for COVID-19.

There will be a four-hour session for each House each day (9 am to 1 pm for Rajya Sabha and 3 pm to 7 pm for Lok Sabha.

The session will see other measures like seating MPs in a staggered way in chambers of both Houses, as well as galleries to maintain physical distancing norms, the introduction of a mobile app for registering of MPs` attendance, and seats separated with poly-carbon sheets in the House.

The Zero Hour will be there and the un-starred questions will be laid on the table.

(With agency inputs)