In a first, Parliament to function on a weekend

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament with a special joint two-day weekend session of both houses on May 12 and 13.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament with a special joint two-day weekend session of both houses on May 12 and 13.

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The historic session will be inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil, who will make an exception this year by addressing the joint session of Parliament twice within two months.

The President normally addresses the MPs of both the Houses in a joint sitting which takes place in the central hall of Parliament only once a year. The budget session every year begins with the President's address in the central hall.

"The first session of India's Parliament was held on 13 May, 1952. This year it happens to be a Sunday on that date, but it has been decided to celebrate it on the same historic day by convening a special joint session on the weekend," said the Lok Sabha secretary general, TK Viswanathan.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari are giving final touches to the agenda of the special session. Organising and steering committees are being put in place for the session.

"Many suggestions have come and some of them are really good, a consensual decision will be taken soon," Viswanathan said.