The first part of the budget session will adjourn in the Upper House on February 13, two days ahead of the original schedule, an all-party meeting chaired by Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu decided on Sunday.
The decision has been arrived at to give more time to the standing committees of the House to examine the demand for grants—or individual budget—of different ministries.
Before the Union budget is passed by the Lok Sabha, both Houses of Parliament examine the annual budget of select ministries for a better review of the overall budgetary procedure by the lawmakers.
“It was decided that instead of the scheduled sitting on the 15th of this month as the last of the first part of the Budget session, the House will sit on the 13th before adjourning to enable the Department Related Parliamentary Committees to examine Demands for Grants of various departments and ministries,” according to a press release issued after the all-party meeting.
In the meeting, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu issued an appeal to leaders of various parties and groups in the House for effective functioning during the ongoing Budget session. Despite some major disruptions, the Rajya Sabha has been able to utilize nearly 100% of its time in the last four sessions. According to the officials, various parties have assured there will be full participation in all the debates and discussions in the House.
{{/usCountry}}In the meeting, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu issued an appeal to leaders of various parties and groups in the House for effective functioning during the ongoing Budget session. Despite some major disruptions, the Rajya Sabha has been able to utilize nearly 100% of its time in the last four sessions. According to the officials, various parties have assured there will be full participation in all the debates and discussions in the House.
{{/usCountry}}The meeting was attended by at least six ministers and 25 leaders of various parties.
As the schedule in the Rajya Sabha will undergo a change, Naidu asked the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Prahlad Joshi, to rework the time schedule for debates on President’s address and the general budget. Naidu observed that these two discussions offer ample opportunities to the members to reflect on a wide range of issues for which more time may be allocated.