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Budget session of Parliament to begin Jan 31; PM meets experts
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha at 11am on February 1.
New Delhi
Parliament’s Budget session, the longest in a calendar year, will begin from January 31 with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said on Friday.
The session will have 27 sittings and will continue till April 6 with a month-long recess to examine the Budget papers.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha at 11am on February 1. The first part of the Budget Session will conclude on February 14, Joshi said.
Parliament will reconvene on March 12 for the second part of the session, he added.
“Amid Amrit Kaal, looking forward to discussions on Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, Union Budget & other items,” Joshi tweeted.
The Budget session will mark President Murmu’s first address to the joint sitting of both Houses. She was elected to the country’s highest office in July last year.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, all House sessions have concluded before the scheduled time amid disruptions or alleged lack of business.
In the last winter session, both Houses were adjourned four working days ahead of the schedule amid demands from Opposition leaders who cited Christmas and the festive season. The session saw limited government business and introduction of only seven of the 16 non-financial bills which were on the government’s agenda.
Even as the government did not indicate any business for the first half of the Budget session, this period is likely to almost entirely focus on the President’s speech, the Budget and discussions on the two.
On January 31, the economic survey would be tabled when the Houses will assemble after the President’s speech.
On February 2, a day after the presentation of the general Budget, both Houses will take up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech. The debate will end with a reply from the Prime Minister.
The Budget discussion is also scheduled for the first half of the session.
According to government officials, a bill or two may be brought in the first half of the session itself.
