Informed discussion need of hour to fight Covid crisis: Naidu
Urging people not to be complacent in the fight against corona pandemic in the backdrop of the likely third wave of the disease, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday appealed to the MPs to have informed discussion to enable the country to be equipped to face the threat.
Addressing the Elders on the first day of the Monsoon session, he said it will have 19 sittings. He informed the House that 224 members of the Rajya Sabha, accounting for 97 per cent of the total, have taken vaccination including 207 who have taken both the doses and 17 who took the first jab.
In his opening remarks, Naidu said, “For about a year and half, the people of India and across the world have been passing through a COVID-19 crisis. This disease has not only dented the health of the people but also the economies across the globe”.
“…The people are living amidst unprecedented uncertainty and there is no certainty as yet about this uncertainty. …Amidst this uncertainty, Parliament needs to assure the people of required support of all kinds with necessary interventions,” Naidu said amid commotion in the House.
He stressed the point that it was important to draw from the experience of first and second COVID-19 waves so as to be better equipped for the possible “fresh bouts” of the pandemic that are being talked about.
“Both the Government and all sections of the House need to constructively ponder over the course of events since the outbreak of the pandemic last year through informed discussions on all aspects of the problem,” he said.
Referring to the importance of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRSCs), Naidu said the Committees under the Rajya Sabha have reported the best performance so far during the inter-session period.
He revealed that seven committees of the Rajya Sabha have held a total of 20 meetings during this period over a total duration of 50 hours 38 minutes.
The average meeting duration of 2 hours 32 minutes has been the best so far, he said.
