Parliament monsoon session: MHA all set to answer queries on lockdown, COVID-19 guidelines

New Delhi, Sep 14: While Parliament is all set to meet on Monday for the 18-day uninterrupted monsoon session, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will face questions on various issues.

According to reports, the ministry has to answer questions on strict restrictions imposed for 68 days during the nationwide lockdown that was imposted because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, police excesses to enforce the measures and several guidelines related to the viral outbreak issued by it.

It is reportedly said that the MHA has prepared a list of unstarred questions for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the basis of queries received from various members of Parliament (MPs).

Several questions are expected to be raised on the imposition of nationwide lockdown restrictions from March 25, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines issued by the ministry periodically, handling of lockdown by police, treatment of migrant labourers, individual restrictions imposed by various states and the stimulus package announced following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, questions related to drug trafficking cases in Bollywood are also expected to be rised in the Parliament. The question becomes pertinent following the ongoing separate probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Last week, the NCB had arrested actress Rhea Chakraborty, who is at the centre of a raging controversy over Rajput's death, her brother Showik and several others in connection with the supply of drugs.

According to reports, most of the queries raised by the MPs will be answered by two junior ministers in the MHA, G Kishan Reddy and Nityanand Rai, since home minister Amit Shah hasn't been keeping well.

The two houses of Parliament will sit in two shifts from Monday, 9 am to 1 am and 3 pm to 7 pm, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.