PARLIAMENT BUDGET SESSION FROM FEB 23

The Budget Session of Parliament will begin on February 23 and conclude on May 8, it was officially announced today. In a press statement, Lok Sabha said that the Fourth Session of 16th Lok Sabha will commence on Monday, when President Pranab Mukherjee will address both Houses of Parliament assembled together in the Central Hall at 11 AM. "In order to enable the Standing Committee to consider the demands for grants of ministries/departments and prepare their reports, the House will adjourn on March 20 to meet again on April 20," it said. In a separate press release, Rajya Sabha said, "The President has summoned Rajya Sabha to meet on Monday, the 23rd February, 2015, at New Delhi. Subject to exigencies of business, the Session is scheduled to conclude on Friday, the 8th May, 2015." The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which met on January 21, had recommended to the President the schedule of the Budget Session. Parliament will have a special sitting on Saturday, a holiday, for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to present the Budget which will be preceded by the Economic Survey on February 27 and the Railway Budget on February 26. The Motion of Thanks to the President for his address will be debated on February 24 and 25. During the session, the government will push for passage of bills on six ordinances promulgated recently. The ordinances are on coal, mines and minerals, e-rickshaws, amendment to Citizenship Act, land acquisition and FDI in insurance sector. The government is especially under pressure to legislate the ordinances on insurance sector and the coal sector so that the new systems in place for attracting FDI in insurance and for auctioning of coal blocks are not disturbed.