Across the world, governments are opting for conducting parliament meetings virtually due to the health crisis triggered by Coronavirus. With the parliamentary affairs ministry proposing a virtual parliament or WFH, India also seems to be mulling over the same. Complete Coverage: Coronavirus
Crux of the Matter
Proposal to WFH With the parliamentary affairs ministry putting a proposal for WFH, the Indian government has sought out a virtual private network to carry out the same. However, WFH may have a heightened threat of cyber attacks. Sensitive information could be leaked, posing a threat to national security. Thus, the government is looking for multi-factor authentication, malware protection, and end-to-end security features to be ensured. Moreover, the National Informatics Centre and Home Ministry said that no classified documents will be allowed to be accessed during WFH. It is likely that the Finance Ministry will have to bear the burden of buying new laptops and internet services charges. It is expected that decision regarding WFH will be finalized by the end of this month.
Rajya Sabha Election Rajya Sabha (RS) by-elections for 24 seats will be held on 19 June. Of them, 18 seats are from the elections which were deferred due to lockdown, and the rest of them vacated in June and July. 4 RS seats each from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, 3 each from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, 2 from Jharkhand, and 1 seat each from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Mizoram.
Election Process
Total 250 seats in RS
238 members elected by MLAs of various States and UTs
12 members nominated by the President
A permanent elected member serves for 6 years
One-third Members of RS retire after every second year
An RS member is indirectly elected by members of the Legislative Assembly of that State and by the members of the Electoral College for a UT
By-elections: The election held to fill a vacancy of members arising by any means before the expiration of their term of office
The elected member in by-election serves for the remaining term of the member whose the seat is filled
Curiopedia
India’s Parliament was designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1912-1913. It is said that the circular structure of the 11th-century Chausath Yogini Temple may have inspired the design of the building. Construction of the Parliament House began in 1921 and it was completed in 1927.
The central hall of Parliament is of immense historical importance. The official power transfer from Britain to India took place in the central hall. Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous speech, Tryst with Destiny was also delivered in the hall on the eve of 15th August 1947.
The Parliament of India is divided into two houses. Lok Sabha’s (Lower House) carpet is green in color which represents that India is an agrarian land and the people here are elected from grass root level. Rajya Sabha’s (Upper House) carpet is red in color which denotes royalty and also tells about the sacrifice done by the freedom fighters.
Curated Coverage
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