New Delhi: The second part of the Budget session of Parliament started Monday, and saw Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabling the Jammu and Kashmir budget for the 2022-23 financial year.
As the number of Covid cases has declined, both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha have returned to normal sittings for the second part of the Budget session — that is, the two Houses will now convene concurrently as opposed to the split timings introduced during the pandemic.
However, MPs will continue to follow social distancing norms when it comes to the seating arrangements. Both houses will use the chambers as well as the visitors’ galleries for the purpose.
The Rajya Sabha, with a total present strength of 237 members (there are eight vacancies), will have about 139 MPs sitting in the chamber, while 98 others will be accommodated in the galleries.
Similarly, in the Lok Sabha, which currently has a total of 538 members, 282 MPs — including the Prime Minister — will sit in the chamber, while the rest will be accommodated in the gallery.
On Day One, the joy was clear on the faces of BJP MPs in light of the party’s four-state victory in the assembly elections in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, the results of which were announced last week.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s Bhagwant Mann also flashed smiles and the victory sign, as he came to resign from his post as MP, ahead of his swearing in as Punjab CM on 16 March. The AAP scored a sweeping victory in the Punjab assembly elections.
Moments from the day at Parliament.
With inputs from ANI
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