Parliament monsoon session: MHA to answer questions on nationwide lockdown

[Prem Kumar]

Parliament monsoon session: MHA to answer questions on nationwide lockdown

Some MPs have also asked about the number of deaths in the police and central paramilitary forces due to the Covid-19 pandemic



When Parliament meets on Monday for the 18-day uninterrupted monsoon session, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will face questions on various issues.

The ministry has to answer questions on strict restrictions imposed for 68 days during the nationwide lockdown because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, police excesses to enforce the measures, several guidelines related to the viral outbreak issued by it, the investigation in the Kerala gold smuggling case and a rise in crime graph amid the contagion.

The MHA has prepared a list of unstarred questions for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the basis of queries received from various members of Parliament (MPs).

Several questions are expected to be raised on the imposition of nationwide lockdown restrictions from March 25, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines issued by the ministry periodically, handling of lockdown by police, treatment of migrant labourers, individual restrictions imposed by various states and the stimulus package announced following the Covid-19 outbreak.

An interesting question has also been raised for the MHA regarding drug trafficking in Bollywood. The question becomes pertinent following the ongoing separate probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput (34). Rajput was found dead in his apartment in Mumbai on June 14.

The NCB had last week arrested actress Rhea Chakraborty, who is at the centre of a raging controversy over Rajput's death; her brother Showik and several others in connection with the supply of drugs.

Some MPs have also asked about the number of deaths in the police and central paramilitary forces due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Several issues raised in previous sessions will also figure during the monsoon session such as the detention of political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, voting rights to west Pakistan and Bangladesh refugees, caste-based census, infiltration of terrorists via the India-Pakistan border, the impact of the removal of Article 370 from J&K, steps taken to check left-wing extremism (LWE) activities etc.

Some MPs are expected to raise other issues for the MHA such as an increase in online fraud, circulation of fake Indian currency notes (FICNs), overcrowding in prisons and foreign funding of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Most of the queries raised by the MPs will be answered by two junior ministers in the MHA --- G Kishan Reddy and Nityanand Rai -- since home minister Amit Shah hasn't been keeping well.

The two houses of Parliament will sit in two shifts from Monday -- 9 am to 1 am and 3 pm to 7 pm --- because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Only those who have Covid-19 negative reports will be allowed to enter Parliament and wearing masks is mandatory.

Sources by : Hindustan Times