Parliament winter session unlikely

• The winter session of Parliament that usually commences by last week of November is unlikely to be held due to the high number of coronavirus(COVID -19) positive cases in Delhi.
• As per the Parliamentary records, there had been only three such instances - 1975, 1979 and 1984.

Parliamentary Session

• The period during which the House meets to conduct its business is called a session.
• The Constitutionempowers the President to summon each House.
• There should not be more than a six-month gap between the two sessions. Hence the Parliament must meet at least twice a year.
• In India, the Parliament conducts three sessions each year:
• Budget session: January/February to May
• Monsoon session: July to August/September
• Winter session: November to December

Joint Session of Parliament

• The Constitution of India provides for the joint sitting of the Parliament’s two Houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, in order to break any deadlock between the two.
• The joint sitting of the Parliament is called by the country’s President. Such a session is presided over by the Speaker, and in his/her absence, by the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• In the absence of both, it is presided over by the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
• If any of the above, are not present, any other member of the Parliament can preside by consensus of both the Houses.
• Article 108 of the Constitution talks about a joint Parliament session.