NEW DELHI: The Monsoon session of Parliament is bracing to function under pale focus of the media, with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats substantially restricting the presence of the media personnel in the premises.
While a maximum of 24 media persons will get to cover the proceedings of the Lok Sabha on a day, only 15 of them would be permitted to report the functioning of the Rajya Sabha.
Other than 39 media persons on a day, none will be allowed anywhere on the campus of the Parliament. In contrast to the normal jostling of the photographers and camerapersons outside the main entry points of the Parliament and the two Houses, only the permitted press persons would be allowed, said a senior official of the Lok Sabha secretariat.
Sources also said that the two secretariats have not yet made any decision on the Covid-19 testing of the media persons, with the likelihood of them being asked to furnish negative reports on their own on the card, sources said.
“One media institution may get its turn to cover the proceedings of the Lok Sabha once in seven days as half of the permitted strength of the media will be reserved for the news agencies,” said the official,
He added that only a dozen from the print and the television channels would get to cover the proceedings of the Lok Sabha due to the Covid-19 protocol being enforced.