New Delhi, February 21, 2015: The Government will discuss with leaders of various parties the financial, legislative and other business to be taken up in both the Houses of the Parliament during the ensuing Budget session. The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs M.Venkaiah Naidu has convened a Meeting of Leaders of all Parties in both the Houses for mutual discussions on the Budget Session on February 22, 2015.
The Budget session of Parliament begins on February 23, 2015 and subject to the exigencies of the Government Business will conclude on May 8, 2015. The Budget session will be held in two phases. The first phase will be from February 23 till March 20, 2015 and the second phase from April 20 till May 8, 2015. There will be 20 working days during the first phase and 13 in the second phase. During the intervening recess, the Standing Committees will take up detailed examination of the Demands for Grants of different Departments and Ministries.
The Budget session begins with the Address of the President Pranab Mukherjee to members of both the Houses of Parliament in the Central Hall of Parliament.
The 44-item agenda of the Government proposed for the Budget session comprises of financial, legislative and non-legislative business. Financial business(11 items) includes Presentation of and discussion on General and Railway Budgets for 2015-16, Discussion and voting on Demands for Grants, both General and Railway Budgets for 2015-16, Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2014-15 and Excess demands, if any for 2013-14.
The Government has proposed presentation of Railway Budget on February 26, Economic Survey on February 27 and General Budget on February 28, 2015.
The Legislative agenda comprises of Introduction, Consideration and Passing of 7 new Bills by both the Houses including The Finance Bill, 2015 and Bills replacing six Ordinances, Consideration and Passing of 3 Bills pending in Lok Sabha and seven in Rajya Sabha and introduction of ten new Bills.
The pending Bills in the Lok Sabha are : The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 relating to introduction of GST, The Lok Pal and Lok Ayuktas and other Related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014 and The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2014. After being passed by the Lok Sabha, these Bills need to be taken up by Rajya Sabha.
Bills pending in the Rajya Sabha include 4 Bills already passed by Lok Sabha viz., The Companies (Amendment) Bill,2014, The Public Premises Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014, The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill,2014, The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014, and the Payments and Settlement Systems(Amendment) Bill, 2014. Other pending Bills being: The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill,2013 and The Constitution (Scheduled Casts) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014
The new Bills for introduction pertain to National Cooperative Development Corporation, Warehousing Corporation, Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation, Arbitration and Conciliation, Repeal of Appropriation Acts, Registration of Births and Deaths, Whistle Blowers Protection, Indian Institutes of Management, National Academic Depository and Identification of Scheduled Castes.
The Non-Legislative Business include Discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address and constitution of Railway Convention Committee.