Covid-19: As meetings resume, MPs demand virtual parliamentary committees

As parliamentary standing committees resume their meetings, the Rajya Sabha secretariat on Tuesday announced an eight-point protocol to be adhered to for these meetings.

However, members have demanded virtual meetings. Several have said they will not be able to attend the meetings in Delhi because of travel restrictions, quarantines and other difficulties.

Committee heads are apprehensive that meetings would not be able to get the requisite quorum needed to start meetings.  

There are 24 department related parliamentary standing committees, of which eight are under the auspices of the Rajya Sabha and the rest under the Lok Sabha.

Of the committees that are with the Rajya Sabha, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh headed committee on science, technology environment and forests has a meeting scheduled on July 10 and the committee on home affairs, led by Congress’s Anand Sharma, is meeting on July 15.

Both the committees have decided to examine various aspects related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Lok Sabha secretariat has also issued social distancing norms for the committee meetings that fall under its ambit. First of the Lok Sabha committees is meeting today, of the parliamentary standing committee on petroleum and natural gas, where ministry officials will brief MPs on the ‘National Gas Grid’ and also on review and performance of the oil marketing companies.

In a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, science and technology committee head Jairam Ramesh stated that MPs across parties have asked for virtual sitting of his committee to discuss Covid-19 related issues. Ramesh said that “surely” virtual meetings can be arranged as a number of other countries have held even full parliament sessions in a virtual mode.

“I hope you will allow. Where there is will, there is skill!” Ramesh said. He said many MPs have expressed their inability to attend these meetings because of travel restrictions. “I am doubtful if we can muster up a quorum,” he said.

The Rajya Sabha protocol for these meetings requires members of the committee to be seated six feet apart. Only two witnesses from a ministry or a department appearing before the committee for evidence would be allowed at a time. If more number of witnesses are to be examined, it would be done in turns. There is no restriction on the number of witnesses to be examined by the committees.

All material related to the meetings would be supplied to the members as soft copies. Officials responsible for taking down verbatim notes of the proceedings will sit in the well of the committee rooms.

The secretariat has also recommended restriction on the number of officials who can participate in the meetings. Hand sanitizers, disposable masks and gloves for the members, witnesses, officers and staff of the secretariat will be ensured at the entrance of the committee rooms.

The public accounts committee will meet on July 10, while the committee on information technology will meet on July 14. The IT committee will ask question from representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and IT on ‘citizens’ data security and privacy’. Sources said committee meetings will follow social distancing norms.