COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

Budget in last week of May

The Union and the railway Budgets will be presented in the last week of May.

Normally, the Union Budget is presented on the last working day of February, and the railway budget a week earlier. But the general elections in February disrupted the schedule.

The government also wants to present before Parliament a status paper on the railways. This paper will highlight the conditions of the ongoing projects and reveal their weaknesses.

The forthcoming Budget is likely to hike indirect taxes but spare direct taxes. The government might also place the Ninth Plan along with the Budget.

Besides the Budget, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government is likely to introduce key legislations like delimitation of constituencies, a bill to make Delhi a state, and a bill to create the new states of Uttaranchal, Vananchal, and Chattisgarh.

Other matters include the bills seeking to reserve a third of all seats in Parliament and assemblies for women, the introduction of the Lok Pal (ombudsman), and creating legislative councils (upper house) in Assam, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu.

Also pending are bills on the Sarkaria Commission on Centre-states relations, devolving more powers to panchayats (local councils), broadcast bill, a review of the Official Secrets Act, and a bill on election reforms.

The government might extend the session of Parliament to complete the entire agenda. "We will meet opposition leaders and try and extend the session," said Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Madan Lal Khurana.

Compiled from the Indian media