Staff Reporter :
The second budget session (8th session) of the 11th Parliament will begin at 5pm on Wednesday amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Official sources said, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal will place a Tk 556,978 crore proposed national budget for 2020-21 fiscal year in the House on Thursday giving an outline of recovering the economy from the negative impacts of Covid-19 pandemic in his budget speech.
On May 18 last, President Abdul Hamid summoned the session (Budget Session for 2020-21FY) exercising power bestowed upon him by Article 72 (1) of the Constitution.
Given the situation caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, this time the Parliament session will run amid imposition of some restrictions and conditions.
A smaller number of Members of Parliament (MPs) will join the budget session for the sake of maintaining safe distancing between every two MPs in the House, said ruling party’s whip Md Atiur Rahman Atik.
“At least 60 MPs need to be present to maintain the quorum of the House. So, keeping it in mind, the MPs will join the session every day as many as can be accommodated maintaining safe distance in the House,” he told the media.
Only the most essential officers and employees of the Parliament Secretariat will be present during the session, said the Awami League’s Whip in Parliament.
Besides, personal staff, personal assistants and PS of the MPs as well as journalists would not be allowed to enter the Parliament Bhaban, he said.
Everyone will have to go through thermal scanner while entering the Parliament Bhaban, said Md. Aliar Rahman.
This year, the budget documents will be provided to the media from the Parliament’s media centre just after the Finance Minister starts placing the proposed budget at 3pm on Thursday, said an official of the Parliament Secretariat.
This session will have less number of sittings and businesses unlike the previous budget sessions, he said.
