MONSOON SESSION OF HIMACHAL ASSEMBLY TO BEGIN TODAY

SHIMLA: The monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly will begin today, which will continue for 10-days and finally conclude on August 13.

August 5 and August 12 have been reserved as Private Members Day. The speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Vipin Singh Parmar, during his address to the media, informed that the session will be conducted with all COVID-19 protocols in place. A digital record of each and everyone who enters the Assembly will be kept. Amid the pandemic, only 800 people have been allowed to attend the House this time, instead of the routine 1200,” Parmar said.

Further, he informed that during an all-party meeting in the state, all the members of the House have assured to cooperate to conduct the assembly.

“Till date, nearly 853 questions on different topics have been submitted by the members, of which, 618 are starred. Under rule 130, a total of 7 matters have been brought for discussion, while 4 issues have been listed under rule 101 and notice under rule 62 has also been sought by the members,” the speaker said while briefing about the issues which are likely to be addressed during the session.

The monsoon session will begin with mourning for the members of the House who have recently died, including the senior leader of opposition Raja Virbhadra Singh.

Mourning the loss of Singh, Congress leader of opposition in the State Assembly, Mukesh Agnihotri said that that the Congress party and HP Assembly has lost a great leader and very senior member of the assembly, Raja Virbhadra Singh, who died on July 8 this year. “His death has created a void in the state and it will not be fulfilled.”

Further, Agnihotri told ANI that the opposition would be raising questions on issues of COVID-19, and alleged that the government has not shown half of the Covid-related deaths. “Issues of inflation, unemployment, and environmental issues of the state which have resulted in floods and landslides across the state will also be raised during the session,” he said. The opposition has also demanded to appoint a Chief Whip and a Deputy Chief Whip in the State Assembly.