Winter Session Of Parliament Cancelled

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The News

The winter session of Parliament that usually commences by last week of November is unlikely to be held due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi.
Opposition INC had sought a short session of Parliament to discuss the new farm laws.
However, Parliamentary Affairs Ministry has said that some opposition parties “have expressed concerns about the ongoing pandemic and opined of doing away with winter session”.

The power to Summon or Prorogue houses of parliament lies with the President of India.
However, the de facto power to convene a session of Parliament rests with the Central government.
The decision is taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs
- Currently it comprises of nine ministers, including those for Defence, Home, Finance, and Law.
The decision of the Committee is formalised by the President, in whose name MPs are summoned to meet for a session.

Article 85

The President can summon a session of Parliament“at such time and place as he thinks fit”.
Article 85requires that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions of Parliament.
The Constitution does not specify when or for how many days Parliament should meet
- Note:
  - In 2020, the Parliament has already had Budget session and the monsoon session which held in September 2020.
  - The government has no constitutional compulsion to hold a winter session.

Over the years, governments have shuffled around the dates of sessions to accommodate political and legislative exigencies.

Over the years, there has been a decline in the sittings days of Parliament.
- During the first two decades of Parliament, Lok Sabha met for an average of a little more than 120 days a year.
  - This has come down to approximately 70 days in the last decade.
- This year, Parliament has met for 33 days. The last time it met for fewer than 50 days was in 2008, when it met for 46 days.