President’s address likely to be held in new Parliament 

The Smart Identity Card shall be highly secure with several safety features embedded in the system

The President’s address to the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha is likely to be held in the new Parliament, while the rest of the first part of the Budget Session may continue at the old Parliament, according to sources. The Budget Session of the Parliament commences on January 31 and the first part will go on till February 10. The Parliament will reconvene on March 12 and go on till April 6.

This will be President Droupadi Murmu’s first address to the Parliament and the very first sitting in the under-construction Parliament building. The Session, according to sources, will be held in the Lok Sabha chamber, where last-minute finishing touches are being given. The new building does not have a Central Hall, where all joint sittings are held. The Lok Sabha chamber is capacious enough to accommodate members of both Houses.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has started preparing new “smart identity cards” for MPs for the new Parliament. “The Smart Card shall be highly secure with several safety features embedded in the system,” as per the Lok Sabha bulletin issued on January 11. The new building will also have smart cameras with face recognition features, to allow easy access for the members.

“There are still a few works pending so it is unlikely that we will have the entire Budget Session there. Hopefully, when the Parliament meets after the recess on March 12, the building will be ready to receive the members,” a senior official said.