The stage is set for the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament beginning Jan 31. The External Affairs Minister may miss the session for the first few days.
New Delhi: The Budget 2022-23 will be presented to Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Feb 1 in paperless form. "Union Budget 2022-23 to be presented by Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman on 1st February, 2022, in Paperless form," an official announcement said.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has tested positive for Covid19. "Have tested Covid positive," he said in a tweet. Dr Jaishankar urged all those who have come in recent contact to "take suitable precautions".
The stage is set for the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament beginning Jan 31. The External Affairs Minister may miss the session for the first few days.
The session will continue till April 8 with a nearly month-long recess after the first half. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has called for an all-party meeting on January 30.
The government has also convened an all-party meeting on January 31 to ensure smooth functioning of the Budget Session of Parliament. The meeting has been convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi which will be held virtually in view
of the COVID19 situation.
President Ram Nath Kovind will address the Joint Sitting of Parliament on January 31, the first day of the business of the new calendar year as per the convention. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget 2022-23 February 1. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had earlier recommended the session schedule with the first half of the session proposed from January 31 to February 11.
To mark the final stage of the Union Budget making process, sweets were provided to the core staff due to undergo “lock-in” at their workplaces, instead of a customary Halwa ceremony every year in view of the prevailing pandemic situation and the need to observe health safety protocols, a Finance Ministry statement said.
In a historic move, the Union Budget of 2021-22 was delivered in paperless form for the first time. A “Union Budget Mobile App” was also launched for hassle-free access of Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public.
The Union Budget 2022-23 would also be available on the Mobile App after the process of Budget presentation has been completed on 1st February 2022 in the Parliament. The mobile App allows complete access to 14 Union Budget documents, including the Budget Speech, Annual Financial Statement (commonly known as Budget), Demand for Grants (DG), Finance Bill etc. as prescribed by the Constitution.
The mobile app is bilingual (English & Hindi) and is available on both Android and iOS platforms. The App can also be downloaded from the Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in). The budget documents will also be available for download by the general public on Union Budget Web Portal (www.indiabudget.gov.in), the official statement said.
