Budget session of Parliament to begin today with President's address to both Houses at 11 am

NEW DELHI: The Budget Session of Parliament is all set to commence with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at 11 am on Wednesday.

The last session before Lok Sabha polls expected to be held in April-May this year is to provide a total of eight sittings spread over a period of 10 days.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the interim budget on Thursday (February 1).

As per the list of business by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the proceedings of both the Houses will start half an hour after the President's address. The Secretary Generals of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha are scheduled to lay on the table of their respective Houses a copy of the President's address.

Obituary references would be made to ex-MPs Bhadreshwar Tanti, Sonawane Pratap Narayanrao in Lok Sabha and Hari Shankar Bhabhra, Shrimati Sushree Devi in the Upper House.

While Lok Sabha MP TR Baalu is scheduled to lay on the Table the seventh report of the Committee of Privileges, Rajya Sabha MPs Anil Jain and GK Vasan are to present the seventy-sixth report of the Committee of Privileges on matter of breach of privilege against 11 Members for shouting slogans and displaying placards thereby disrupting the proceedings of the House, in gross violation of the Rules of the House and utter disregard to the authority of the Chair in the Upper House.

The Central government on Tuesday held a meeting under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with floor leaders of political parties ahead of the Interim Budget Session of the Parliament.

In his opening address, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi informed that the Session of Parliament may conclude on February 9. "The Session will provide 8 sittings spread over a period of 10 days," he said.

The Union Minister also informed that the session will mainly be devoted to the Financial Business relating to Interim Union Budget for the year 2024-25 and discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, however essential Legislative and other Business will also be taken up during this session.

In addition to this, he also informed that Supplementary Demands for Grants for the Year 2023-24 in respect of the Union Government will be discussed and voted.

Further, he stated that presentation and discussion on Interim Budget of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir for 2024-25 along with Supplementary Demands for Grants of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the financial year 2023-24 will also be taken up and voted.

The Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs further stated that the Government is always ready to discuss on the floor of the House, any issue as permitted under Rules of Procedure by respective Presiding Officers. He also requested all party leaders for active cooperation and support for the smooth functioning of the two Houses of Parliament. The meeting was also attended by Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, who is also Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice; Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs & Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs & Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan.

Concluding the meeting, after listening to the points raised by the leaders of various political parties in both Houses of Parliament, Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Defence, thanked leaders for raising important issues in the meeting.

The meeting was attended by 45 leaders from 30 political parties.