NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha Secretariat has started creating new identity cards for Parliament members to access the new Parliament ahead of the Budget session, officials said today. The audiovisual equipment to be utilised in the new building is also being trained on by the MPs.

The budget session of the Parliament may commence on January 31 and end in its first portion on February 10. According to the sources, the second part of the session could begin on March 6 and end on April 6. However, a final decision on the dates is yet to be taken.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat bulletin statement read as follows: ''A new Smart Card-based Identity Card is being generated for the honourable Members of Parliament for access in the New Parliament Building. The Smart Card-based Identity Cards shall be highly secure with several key safety features embedded into the system'' 

The MPs' personal and biometric data will be collected for the new identity card.  The members have been told that a facilitation counter would be set up for it on the Parliament premises. The process also involves a photograph for the Smart Card and registration on the facial recognition system.

As per sources at the Lok Sabha Secretariat, MPs are receiving training at the annexe building on how to handle new audiovisual equipment that will be used in the new building.

The Central Vista is being renovated, which includes the new Parliament building. The building was supposed to be finished by the 2022 Winter session, however, the construction phase has been extended to this year.

In December 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new Parliament building.

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