COVID-19: No LS proceedings till 2 pm on Monday, no Question Hour

Coronavirus outbreak has finally cast its shadow on Indian Parliament's functioning, with Lok Sabha proceedings on March 23 to start only at 2pm.

There's won't also be any Question Hour on Monday.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made the announcements to this effect in the House a day after several MPs requested him during the Business Advisory Committee meeting that the proceedings should start only from 2 pm onwards on Monday as they may get delayed due to unavailability of flights. This is a historical first in Parliamentary proceedings.

Due to the central government's push for social distancing, passenger occupancy in domestic flights has dropped sharply. It has forced airlines to reschedule their respective operations.

On March 12, Birla had said that there was no proposal to adjourn the House in the wake of coronavirus scare, and that Parliament had cancelled issuance of visitors passes in general as a precautionary measure only. IANS