Budget session likely to end on March 25

The budget session of Parliament is likely to end on March 25 — almost a month ahead of schedule to enable members to campaign in the crucial assembly polls to five states, including West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Saroj Nagi reports.

The budget session of Parliament is likely to end on March 25 — almost a month ahead of schedule to enable members to campaign in the crucial assembly polls to five states, including West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

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An informal decision seems to have been taken,and the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs on Friday will take a stand on the matter.

Leaders, cutting across parties, have been demanding that the government wrap up the session early in view of the assembly polls starting from April 4.

Before adjourning sine die on March 25, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will have to complete all financial business, including discussing the budgetary allocations of key ministries and passing the railway and general budgets and the finance bill.

But in view of a curtailed session, the customary recess period between two phases of the budget session — in this case from March 17 to April 3 — will have to be dispensed with.

The department-related standing committees, which use the recess to vet the demands for grants for various ministries before they are voted in the House, will take them up later.

The government now has to decide between two options. It can adjourn the Houses sine die without proroguing them. It can then have the second phase of the budget session towards the end of May or early June in order to clear certain bills.

The second option is to adjourn and prorogue the two Houses and have a longer monsoon session.