Venkaiah Naidu takes stock of work done during 252 session of Rajya Sabha

M Venkaiah Naidu held a meeting at his residence to take stock of the work done during the 252nd session of Parliament and said he appreciated the work done by the Secretariats of both Houses

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday held a meeting at his residence to take stock of the work done during the 252nd session of Parliament and said he appreciated the work done by the Secretariats of both Houses despite difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.He also expressed concern for the well-being of the Secretariat staff.

The meeting was attended by Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Coal and Mines and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; V. Muraleedharan and Arjun Ram Meghwal, Ministers of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; Desh Deepak Verma, Rajya Sabha Secretary-General; IV Subba Rao, Secretary to Vice President; RS Shukla, Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; PPK Ramacharyulu, Secretary, Rajya Sabha and other senior officers of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, according to an official statement.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Wednesday, leading to the closure of the Monsoon session ahead of schedule.

The session, which began on September 14, was scheduled to go on till October 1. In the 10 sittings, a total of 25 bills were passed and six bills have been introduced. The productivity of the House during this session has been 104.7 per cent, Naidu had announced.

During the meeting, Naidu appreciates the work done by both the Secretariats to ensure smooth conduct of the 252nd Session of Rajya Sabha keeping in view the difficult prevailing circumstances due to the pandemic. He expressed his concern and enquired about the well-being of the staff of the Secretariat.

On being informed that 83 officials of the secretariat have tested positive for the coronavirus, Naidu directed the officers to render necessary medical assistance and other welfare measures to all of them.

The Vice President also inquired about the provision of family pension for the family members of late Ashok Gasti, Bharatiya Janata Party MP. He was informed about the relevant provisions, and he directed the officers of the Secretariat to ensure speedy sanction of the pension.

The first-time Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, Gasti, was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru after testing positive for COVID-19. He passed away last week.