Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present Union Budget on February 1, PTI reported quoting sources from the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA). The CCPA said the Budget Session of Parliament to be held in two parts from January 29 to April 8. The first part of the Budget session would be held from January 29 to February 15, and Part 2 from March 8 to April 8.

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President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on January 29, PTI said. The Economic Survey would be tabled in the Lok Sabha on January 29 after the President's address, the sources said. All COVID-related protocols would be followed during the session. Like the Monsoon session, the upcoming Budget session is also likely to be held in two shifts -- morning and evening -- with each House sitting in one shift using both the chambers.

Each House is likely to sit for 5 hours on a working day during the Budget session, according to sources. The Lok Sabha is likely to sit in the evenings (3 pm to 8 pm) and the Rajya Sabha in the mornings (9 am to 2 pm). However, for the presidential address and on budget day, the Lok Sabha is likely to be held during the first part of the session and on other days it will be the Rajya Sabha first.

The government had cancelled the Winter Session of Parliament in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had said, "Winter months are very crucial for managing the pandemic because of the recent spurt in cases during this period, particularly in Delhi. At present, we are in the middle of December and a covid vaccine is expected very soon."

The Winter Session of Parliament normally begins from the last week of November or the first week of December. The Constitution broadly stipulates one major rule that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions of Parliament.

However, it has been a convention to hold three sessions of Parliament — Budget, Monsoon, and Winter — in a year.

With inputs from PTI.

(Edited by : Priyanka Rathi)

First Published:Jan 5, 2021 5:28 PM IST