Budget session of Parliament likely to begin on Jan 31

The budget session of Parliament is likely to begin on January 31, advancing it by over three weeks. The decision was taken by the Cabinet committee on Parliamentary Affairs on Tuesday morning.Finance minister Arun Jaitley will present the combined union budget – including allocations for the railways and ending a 92-year-old tradition of presenting a separate railway budget – on February 1.

Officials expect the move will allow for earlier allocation of funds for different government



schemes and projects and lead to better implementation on the ground. In the past, funds were usually not allotted from the beginning of the financial year on April 1, creating a backlog and choking funds. A group of secretaries in the government had recommended advancing the budget to overcome the problem.

Jaitley was present at the meeting also attended by home minister Rajnath Singh, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.