Union Budget to be presented in Parliament on Feb 1

The Union Budget will be presented in Parliament on February 1, as per the recommendations of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA), according to sources. The CCPA has also recommended that the Budget session of Parliament start on January 29 and end on April 8.

The budget session will be conducted in two parts — the first phase will start on January 29 and conclude on February 15. The second phase will be held between March 8 and April 8.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address both Houses of Parliament on January 29.

All COVID-related safety protocols would be followed during the session, the sources said, adding that the final decision on the start of the session will be taken by the Union Cabinet of Ministers.

Also read: Economy recovering on govt interventions, waiting for firm signs: FM

The winter session last year was cancelled due to the pandemic. The Congress said it was not consulted before the government took the decision to cancel the session as it feared questions in Parliament on the demand being made by the farmers.

In December last year, at an Assocham virtual event, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that the Union Budget for 2021-22 would feature “the momentum on public spending on infrastructure because that is the one way we are sure that multipliers will work and the economic revival will be sustainable.”

Also read: Budget 2020-21 will neither resuscitate economy, nor tackle unemployment

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been pushing the government to provide relief for the middle class in the budget. The Modi government wants to pick up spending on projects for roads, ports and pipelines in the next fiscal year to revive businesses and generate jobs to come out of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.