NEW DELHI, Jan 7 : The government is expected to announce the schedule for the Budget Session of Parliament by this fortnight, following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) held on Wednesday, official sources said.
Highly placed sources have earlier indicated that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to present the union Budget for the 2026-27 financial year on February 1, 2026, even though the date falls on a Sunday. While February 1 has become a fixed date for the union Budget since 2017, it is still not clear whether the Budget Session will begin on Friday, January 30, or Saturday, January 31.
Traditionally, the Budget Session-the first parliamentary session of the calendar year-commences with the President’s address to a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. This is followed by the tabling of the Economic Survey for 2026-27, usually a day or two before the presentation of the union Budget. The final sequencing of these events are determined by the CCPA, which is tasked with finalising the parliamentary calendar.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju has noted that while February 1 has emerged as a convention in recent years, the ultimate decision on the date and whether Parliament will convene over a weekend rests with the CCPA. With the committee having met on Wednesday, an official announcement outlining the session’s start date and schedule is expected shortly.
Although presenting the Budget on a Sunday is uncommon, it is not unprecedented. Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha had presented the union Budget on Sunday, February 28, 1999, a session remembered for another landmark reform-shifting the Budget presentation time from 5 pm to 11 am, ending a colonial-era practice. Budget presentations have more frequently taken place on Saturdays, including in 2001, 2004, 2015 and 2016.
Parliament has also convened on Sundays on several occasions for significant or urgent business. On May 13, 2012, both Houses met in a special Sunday sitting to mark the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament. During the September 2020 Monsoon Session, sittings were held on both Saturdays and Sundays to compensate for time lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, in 1977 and 1991, the Rajya Sabha met on Sundays to consider extensions of President’s Rule in certain states when the Lok Sabha stood dissolved.
Market participants and taxpayers are now closely tracking developments. If the government confirms a Sunday Budget presentation, market watchers expect the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to consider holding special trading sessions to enable real-time reactions to the Finance Minister’s announcements.
(UNI)
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