Nirmala to table record seventh Budget on July 23

New Delhi, July 6

The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on July 22 with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set to present her seventh straight Budget on July 23.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Saturday the Budget Session would be held between July 22 and August 12. Sitharaman will surpass the record of presenting six straight Budgets, which she shares with former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. Sitharaman had equalled the late PM’s record when she presented the Interim Budget on February 1 this year.

The Union Budget 2024-25 will be the first of the BJP-led NDA government after PM Narendra Modi won a third consecutive term.

An Interim Budget was presented in February in view of the Lok Sabha polls held in April-June in which no changes were introduced in the income tax slabs under both old and new regimes.

The Union Budget will need to be passed by July 31 because the Interim Budget had authorised government spending for four months i.e. from April until July.

“Hon’ble President of India, on the recommendation of Government of India, has approved the proposal for summoning of both Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session-2024 from July 22 to August 12, 2024, (subject to exigencies of parliamentary business),” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister posted on X.

This will be the first full session of Parliament after the newly elected members took oath in the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha held between June 24 and July 2.

In her address to a joint sitting of Parliament, President Droupadi Murmu had asserted the Budget would see “historic” steps, as major social and economic decisions would be its highlights.

In the run-up to the Budget presentation, Sitharaman has been meeting with economists, finance and capital market experts, industry bodies and representatives of various organisations for pre-Budget consultations. Sitharaman also met with finance ministers of various states and UTs last month to take suggestions.

All eyes will be on special financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar where BJP allies TDP and JD (U) are seeking major aid, if not special category status. The PM would need to keep allies happy as they provided his government the numerical strength after the BJP fell short of a majority on its own.