A full-fledged Budget Session of Parliament is likely to begin on January 29 and continue till April 8, with a three-week recess, after the Modi government scrapped the winter session in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) has decided to recommend to President Ram Nath Kovind to summon both the Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session on January 29. As per the schedule recommended by the CCPA, the Budget Session would commence with the President's address to the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on January 29.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would present the Union Budget on February 1. The first part of the Budget Session would continue till February 15 in which the House would take up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President for his address and later deliberate on the Union Budget. The finance minister would reply to the discussion on the budget.
Parliament would break for a three-week recess on February 15 and assemble again for the second part of the Budget Session on March 8. The session is expected to conclude on April 8.
Last year, the Budget Session had to be cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the country went into a lockdown to arrest the spread of the coronavirus. The monsoon session had begun on September 14 and was scheduled to conclude on October 1. However, the session had to be cut short and both the Houses adjourned sine die on September 23.
The Budget Session of Parliament would take place amid Covid-related protocols, with both the Houses meeting separately for four hours each.
In 2020, Parliament was in session for 33 days – 23 during the Budget Session and 10 days during the monsoon session – the least number of sittings per year in Independent India. The last time Parliament met for less than 50 days a year was in 2008, when it was in session for 46 days.
(Published 05 January 2021, 11:24 IST)
JOIN US