Parliament Moves Forward with Budget Process for Fiscal Year 2026-27

Budget Approval Process Underway

The Parliament is progressing towards finalizing the budget process for the fiscal year 2026-27, aiming to approve the Finance Bill 2026 by March 27. This approval follows a successful passage in the Lok Sabha, and the bill will now be considered in the upper house.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed Rajya Sabha members about changes to the upcoming schedule and addressed questions related to the government's agenda. Typically, Fridays are reserved for private bills; however, this Friday, the Finance Bill will take precedence due to its significance.

Weekend Session Plans Revised

The government reconsidered its initial plan to hold sessions over the weekend, opting instead to honor the traditional weekly break. The regular parliamentary session will resume on March 30 after the scheduled recess. Rijiju provided this update first in the Rajya Sabha and then in the Lok Sabha, noting that the issue was discussed in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, where several members suggested this change.

Upcoming Parliamentary Schedule

Rijiju indicated that according to the pre-established schedule, the house will observe a holiday on March 26 for Ram Navami, with a meeting planned for March 27 to conduct government business. He clarified that there will be no non-governmental business in the house this Friday. Additionally, Saturday and Sunday will be holidays, and the house will operate as per the original schedule until April 2. A similar announcement was made by Minister Rijiju in the Rajya Sabha. Last week, it was announced that there would be no meetings in both houses on March 19 and 20 due to festivals like Navratri, Gudi Padwa, and Ramadan, with sessions scheduled for March 28 and 29 to compensate.