Budget Session begins with Murmu's annual address: Economic Survey tomorrow, Union Budget on Sunday

Parliament’s Budget Session began today with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, formally opening the session that will see the presentation of the Economic Survey on Thursday and the Union Budget on Sunday.

The session comes against the backdrop of heightened expectations around growth, fiscal consolidation and welfare spending, with the Economic Survey of India scheduled to be tabled on January 29, followed by the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1.

Prepared by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance under the supervision of the Chief Economic Adviser, the Economic Survey will provide a comprehensive assessment of macroeconomic trends and key indicators for 2025-26 (April–March), along with an outlook for the coming financial year. Traditionally seen as a curtain-raiser to the Budget, the Survey is expected to frame the policy narrative ahead of the Finance Minister’s budget speech.

Session schedule and focus on financial business

The Budget Session is scheduled to run for 30 sittings spread over 65 days and is scheduled to conclude on April 2. Parliament is slated to adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9, allowing the Standing Committees to scrutinise the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.

The first part of the session is scheduled to be largely devoted to financial business, including the Union Budget for 2026-27 and the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Essential legislative and other business is expected to be taken up mainly during the second part of the session.

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Political pitch ahead of Budget

An all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday outlined the agenda for the session. Leaders across party lines flagged issues they intend to raise while assuring cooperation for the smooth functioning of Parliament.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the party would focus on “people-centric issues”, including allegations of vote theft, concerns over SIR, paddy procurement and the future of MGNREGA. Biju Janata Dal MP Sasmit Patra said his party had highlighted farmer distress in Odisha, delays in paddy procurement and pending issues such as coal royalty revision, connectivity gaps and rising unemployment.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said opposition members raised concerns over pollution, unemployment and SIR, while Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh accused the government of failing on foreign policy and flagged issues related to voter deletions.

Leaders from several parties, including Union ministers and MPs, arrived in the national capital ahead of the session. Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal said the state was expecting “its rightful share” in the 2026 Union Budget and called for rectifying what he described as the adverse impact of past Finance Commission decisions on Kerala’s finances.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged all parties to cooperate to ensure productive proceedings. He said discussions during the session should primarily revolve around the Budget, noting that the government was prepared to discuss all important issues on the floor of the House in accordance with parliamentary rules.

With the Economic Survey and Union Budget at the heart of the session, the coming weeks are expected to see intense debate on India’s economic trajectory, fiscal priorities and the policy roadmap for 2026-27, even as the government pushes ahead with its legislative agenda and opposition parties sharpen their scrutiny.

With inputs from agencies.