Live Correspondent: The budget session for fiscal year 2021-22 began at the Jatiya Sangsad on Wednesday afternoon following health guidelines. It is learnt that the budget session will be very brief like the previous year.

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury presided over the budget session that began at 5:00pm. This is the 13th session of the 11th Parliament and also the third budget session of the Awami League government.

At the beginning of the session, the Speaker nominated a five-member panel of chairmen who will preside over sittings of the House in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The panel members are Awami League lawmakers Shahiduzzaman Sarker (Naogaon-2), AB Tajul Islam (Brahmanbaria-6), Mazharul Huque Prodhan, (Panchagarh-1), Jatiya Party MP Anisul Islam Mahmud (Chattogram-5 ) and Rumana Ali, elected in reserved seats for women in parliament (women seat 14).

On the second working day of the session on June 3 (Thursday), Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal will place the national budget of Tk 6,03,681 crore for fiscal 2021-22 in Jatiya Sangsad.

The national budget will be placed after the approval at a special meeting of the cabinet at the cabinet room in parliament with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Several measures have been taken to curb the risk of Covid-19 infection during the budget session of the Parliament.

Ministers, MPs, officials and employees of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat will have to enter the parliament with Covid-19 negative test certificates. They will be able to take part in the budget session wearing masks and hand gloves by maintaining social distance.

Besides, elderly and sick lawmakers have been discouraged to join the budget session.At the beginning of the session, the speaker said, "This session will be conducted in compliance with all health guidelines."

Parliament has taken various health safety measures during the budget session. Apart from the budget related officials and employees of the Parliament Secretariat; others have been barred from coming to Parliament premises

Media personnel are not being allowed to cover the session. Instead, they have been requested to cover the session through live telecast on Sangsad TV. The decision to ensure the presence of 100 to 120 MPs every day was followed on the first day.

The speaker placed a condolence motion in the Parliament commemorating those who died in between the last and the beginning of this session.

A condolence motion was tabled in Parliament for late MP Abdul Matin Khashru from Cumilla-5 (Brahmmanpara and Burichang upazila) and Aslamul Huque, Dhaka-14, who died on April 14 and April 4, respectively.

Dhaka, June 02 (campuslive24.com)//BSC