Crucial bills on govt agenda for Monsoon session; Oppn to raise Covid failures, fuel price hike
Live MintThe government has readied a big legislative agenda for the Monsoon session of Parliament beginning Monday even as the Opposition seeks to corner the ruling dispensation over its handling of the second wave of COVID-19 and the rise in fuel prices. The Essential Defence Services Ordinance 2021 came in the backdrop of the announcement by major federations of the Ordnance Factory Board to go on an indefinite strike from the later part of July to protest the government's decision to corporatise the OFB. The Essential Defence Service Bill, 2021 has been listed to replace the ordinance, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin issued on July 12. Noting that the second wave of COVID-19 infection sprang several surprises and severely tested India's health infrastructure, Naidu said Parliament is the right forum to get updated about various aspects of fighting the disease and benefit from ground-level experiences of members of the House from different states.