Stormy budget session begins from January 29

Kalyani Shankar The upcoming budget session of Parliament is likely to be a boisterous one with a lot of controversial issues that will be raised by the opposition. Although the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi has stated that the Modi government is ready to face all the issues, the opposition is sharpening its knives. The session is important, as it is the first session of the year in 2021. It is being held amidst the pandemic COVID-19.  The Session will commence on January 29 and the Union Budget will be presented on February 1. The session will conclude by April 8, with a recess of 20 days between February 15 and March 8. All COVID protocols will be in place.  President Ramnath Kovind will address the customary joint session on January 29, followed by the placing of an Economic Survey the next day and on February 1 the budget will be presented by Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the third consecutive one for her.  Budget making at a time of pandemic is indeed a difficult process. Breaking the age-old tradition the Finance Ministry this time has decided to go paperless and will not print the Budget 2021.  All eyes are on the government, as the budget would shed light on how the government allocates the funds to different sectors. Almost all the sectors are affected and, it is going to be a challenge to balance the revenue and the expenditure.  Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has promised to build a ‘stronger economy like never before’. The Budget will be an unprecedented one, she had stated, as never had been such a situation “where tax collections are struggling to keep up with the budgeted number and “the demand for goods and services is sluggish.”