News Excerpt:

The first Budget session of the 18th Lok Sabha concluded with a focus on legislative productivity and budgetary discussions.

What is a Budget Session?

• The Budget Session of the Indian Parliament is the most important session, focusing on the presentation and discussion of the Union Budget.
• It begins with the Finance Minister presenting the budget, outlining the government's revenue and expenditure plans for the upcoming fiscal year. 
• Key events include the presentation of the Economic Survey, the general discussion of the budget, and the passage of the Finance Bill, which includes taxation proposals.
• The session also involves the scrutiny and approval of the government's spending through the Demand for Grants and the Appropriation Bill. 
• Typically lasting around two months (no fixed duration) the Budget Session is crucial for shaping the country's economic policies and ensuring government accountability.

Outcome of the budget session:

• A significant portion of the session was dedicated to the discussion of the Union Budget for FY25.
• The Lok Sabha devoted 27 hours and 19 minutes to this crucial task, exceeding the allotted 20 hours.
• The Rajya Sabha also actively engaged in the budgetary discussions, dedicating 22 hours and 40 minutes to the topic.

• During the session, the government introduced 11 Bills.
• Notably, four of these were presented in the Lok Sabha on the final day, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced a day earlier
• Parliament successfully passed three Bills during the session: the Appropriation Bill, the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, and the Finance Bill.
• The government expressed gratitude to the presiding officers of both Houses for ensuring that the session proceeded without any significant disruptions.

The Table below shows different Bills and their status at the end of the Budget session.

Contentious Moments and Opposition Protests

• The session was not without its contentious moments.
• The Rajya Sabha witnessed heated exchanges and protests, particularly on the last day when the Opposition demanded an apology from BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari for allegedly insulting Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
• The demand was struck down by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, leading to an Opposition walkout.
• Congress MP Jairam Ramesh announced that he had submitted four notices for privilege motions against BJP leaders, including two against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
• These motions were in response to the posting of expunged remarks made by BJP MP Anurag Thakur on social media platform X which was alleged to be a violation of parliamentary privileges.
• Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien highlighted that this was the eleventh instance since the Budget session of March-April 2020 that the government had cut short a parliamentary session. 
• While three of these instances were attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, the others were shortened by a day for various reasons.

Conclusion

The first Budget session of the 18th Lok Sabha, though marked by significant legislative activity and budget discussions, also reflected ongoing tensions between the government and the Opposition. The session's early adjournment continues a pattern observed in recent years, raising questions about the management of parliamentary proceedings.