KATHMANDU: The new session of the Federal Parliament -- the budget session -- will commence at 4:00 pm on Friday.

A joint session of the upper house, the National Assembly, and the lower house, the House of Representatives, will kick-off the new parliamentary session.

On Sunday, the President on recommendation of the cabinet had summoned a joint session of both the houses of the parliament.

The government would endorse its annual policy and programme, neeti tatha karyakram, will be tabled at the inaugural session.

Safe distancing measures and other preventive steps will be strictly implemented at the parliament keeping in mind the risk of coronavirus transmission. A total of 441 lawmakers and employees of the Parliament Secretariat underwent polymerase chain reaction test for coronavirus on Thursday, on the eve of the budget session of the Parliament.