Ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament, the Union government has convened an all-party meeting on January 27 to discuss legislative business and other issues likely to come up during the session.
The meeting, chaired by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, will be held at 11 am in the main committee room of the Parliament House annexe, according to government sources.
The Budget Session will begin on January 28 with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The session will run till April 2, with the first phase ending on February 13. Parliament will reconvene for the second phase on March 9.
In a rare parliamentary occurrence, the Union Budget will be presented on February 1, which falls on a Sunday. This will mark Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s ninth consecutive budget presentation.
The session comes amid sharp political activity, with the Congress launching a nationwide campaign against the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, which has replaced the UPA-era MGNREGA. The ruling BJP, meanwhile, is running a counter-campaign, describing the new law as a reform aimed at plugging loopholes in the earlier scheme.
The Budget will also be presented against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty following tariff measures announced by US President Donald Trump.
According to an internal circular, the Lok Sabha has tentatively allotted February 2 to 4 for discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. There will be no Zero Hour on January 28 and February 1.
As many as nine bills are pending before the Lok Sabha, including the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025; the Securities Markets Code, 2025; and the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024. These proposed laws are currently under examination by Parliamentary Standing Committees or Select Committees.