New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu will speak to the joint session of the two Houses at about 11 a.m. today to kick off the Parliament‘s budget session.

The Economic Survey will then be tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman before the Union Budget’s presentation on Saturday. It will be presented to the Rajya Sabha at 2:00 PM and the Lok Sabha at noon.

Under the direction of the chief economic adviser, the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance prepared the Economic Survey document, which provides information on the state of the economy and several indicators for 2024–25 (April–March) as well as some outlook for the upcoming fiscal year.

During the session, a number of significant measures are probably going to be discussed. These include the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to improve the Indian Railways’ operating efficiency, and the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to increase banking laws and monitoring.

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is another noteworthy proposal that aims to enhance disaster response systems nationwide.

The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 and the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seek to alter the administration of religious endowments, are also anticipated to be introduced.

Furthermore, the Boilers Bill, 2024, is expected to establish new safety and operating requirements for boilers in industrial applications, while the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024, would suggest revisions to the legislation pertaining to oil exploration and extraction.

The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Districts of the State of Goa Bill, 2024, is one of the laws that is anticipated to be filed. It will deal with the reallocation of assembly districts in order to better represent scheduled tribes in the state.

With the Bills of Lading Bill, 2024; Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2024; Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024; and Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, all slated to modernize shipping rules, maritime laws will undergo a number of modifications.

Above all, the Finance Bill, 2025, will be essential to carrying out the tax changes and budgetary recommendations that the finance minister will unveil on February 1.

Other important measures are the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, which would alter India’s immigration and foreigner laws, and the Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill, 2025, which will protect aviation-related financial interests.

During the session, the demands for grants for 2025–2026 will be discussed and put to a vote. Then, the relevant Appropriation Bill will be introduced, reviewed, and passed.

An important part of parliamentary proceedings is the discussion and voting on demands for grants for 2025–2026. This process encourages accountability and openness while enabling the approval of government expenditure for the next fiscal year.

In essence, demands for grants are letters to Parliament from the government outlining how much money it needs to cover its costs for a certain year.

Infrastructure, healthcare, defense, education, social programs, and other sectors are all covered by these costs. Every department or ministry presents its own requests for grants, outlining the precise sums required to support its initiatives.

Along with the submission and adoption of the relevant Appropriation Bill, the Second and Final Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2024–2025 will also be evaluated.

Following the release of the fiscal year’s annual budget, the government looks to provide extra money, which is referred to in the Second and Final Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2024–25. These additional demands come up when the government’s expenditure requirements alter and were not taken into account when the budget was first being prepared.

Additionally, the demands for excess grants for 2021–2022 will be discussed and voted on, and a corresponding appropriation bill will need to be introduced.

Demands for excess grants for 2021–22 are extra monies that the government wants to allot for the fiscal year 2021–22 when the amount spent by different departments or ministries is above the initial amount that Parliament authorized in the budget for that fiscal year.

Following Thursday’s government-called all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that around 16 legislative and three budgetary matters have been identified to be discussed during this session.

In accordance with the regulations of both Houses, the government is ready and willing to debate any other significant matter on the House floor, according to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

The following bills are on the government’s legislative agenda: the 2024 Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, the 2024 Railways (Amendment) Bill, the 2024 Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, the 2024 Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, the 2024 Boilers Bill, the 2024 Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the 2024 Coastal Shipping Bill, the 2024 Merchant Shipping Bill, and the 2025 Finance Bill.

The first portion of the budget session will run until February 13. Following the break, the two Houses will reconvene on March 10 and end the session on April 4.